Palace.

SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 1
A Southern Belle
Gets a Makeover
2 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
I n 1999 Tryon Palace had come to a crossroads. Our
mission to preserve and teach North Carolina history
had grown beyond the confines of our existing buildings.
The Tryon Palace audience was changing. As New Bern and
Tryon Palace continued to grow, so did the variety and needs
of our visitors, from families to school groups, tourists to
senior citizens. The stories that needed to be told had grown
to encompass a larger historical picture that spanned race,
class, ethnicity and gender. History was not one- size- fits- all.
Our staff realized that these visitors were also beginning to have very different
expectations about what constituted a meaningful and interesting museum experience.
Museums everywhere were struggling to respond in the face of visitor expectations that
were changing as rapidly as technology allowed.
Education was also at the forefront of our concerns. The Tryon Palace staff wanted to find
ways to better support North Carolina school curriculums and to provide distance learning
opportunities for students across the state. We needed tools to reach out to a younger
audience who all too often thought of history as something dead and irrelevant to their lives.
Not least of all, we were facing physical constraints on our ability to provide services for
visitors. We had long outgrown the small, converted gas station that had served as our
visitor center for many years.
As stewards of an important and treasured piece of North Carolina history, we wanted
to ensure that Tryon Palace grew with our audience and remained a place where a visitor
could be an active traveler through history, not just a passive follower. We needed a
gateway that would become a wonderful starting point for that journey.
The North Carolina History Center began as ideas, goals and plans. Then the work began.
For the next ten years, the concept and design of the North Carolina History Center
grew from a dynamic collaboration between the Tryon Palace staff and Tryon Palace
Commission and a number of players: exhibit designers Edwin Schlossberg Incorporated
( ESI), architects Brown Jurkowski Architectural Collaborative ( BJAC), Quinn Evans
Architects and landscape architects EDAW Inc. Working together we turned those dreams
into floor plans, building elevations and design and exhibit concepts.
With the critical financial support of the North Carolina legislature, Craven County, the
city of New Bern, Pepsi- Cola and hundreds of donors large and small, the final challenge
– building and construction – began. In a few short months we will be opening the doors
of the North Carolina History Center, a new gateway for Tryon Palace and a new way for
visitors to experience history and create lasting bonds between past, present and future.
It marks an exciting new chapter for Tryon Palace, for New Bern and for the citizens of
North Carolina.
This issue of The Palace magazine is all about telling stories. You will read about a building,
exhibits and landscape that completely change the way we interact with our visitors – and
our visitors interact with their past; you’ll learn about the rebirth of a portrait of a beautiful
young North Carolina woman; and we profile a talented young staff member whose skill
transforms 21st- century humans into visible beacons of the past.
A project ends, and a new journey begins. We invite you to come and visit; we’ve got a
lot more stories to tell.
Kay P. Williams
Director
Reflections The Palace
Volume 10 / Number 4 / Summer 2010
Editor
Maria L. Muniz
Contributors
Rebecca W. E. Edmunds, BJAC; Maria L. Muniz,
Karen O’Connell
Des ign
Christine Farver, Inspired Publishing
Photograp hy
Kyle Arrowood, Paul Brown, ESI Design,
Gennara Photography, Emily Griffin,
Nancy Hawley, Philippe Lafargue,
Katie Loveless, Northern Light Productions,
Laura Poppe, Richmond Conservation Studio,
Judy Smith, Lisa Wimpfheimer
Tr yon Palace Council of Friends
Boar d of Direc tors
President: Patricia Naumann
Vice President: Nancy Freemon
Sallie Baxter
Anne Bradford
Carson Brice
Dr. Jeffrey Crow, ex officio
Dr. Frank L. Eagles
The Honorable Judge John Patrick Exum
Dr. Sam Gilmore
Carole Beasley Kemp
Bob Mattocks, ex officio
Tom Norris
Karen O’Connell, ex officio
Mary Parrish
Cece Scott
Mary Silver
Karen Skipper
Torrey Stroud
Alice Tolson
Karen Webb
Helen White
Kay P. Williams, ex officio
Robert Zaytoun
The Palace is published quarterly to provide
information about and build support for Tryon
Palace. Funding for publication is provided by
the Tryon Palace Council of Friends. We
welcome your comments and suggestions.
Please write to us at: Editor, The Palace, PO
Box 1007, New Bern, NC 28563. E- mail: editor@
tryonpalace. org or Fax: 252- 514- 4876.
For more information about Tryon Palace,
visit our website: www. tryonpalace. org or call
252- 514- 4900, 800- 767- 1560.
Tryon Palace is a part of the North Carolina
Department of Cultural Resources, Linda
Carlisle, Secretary. www. ncculture. com.
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SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 3 news notes
World’s largest salad tongs? Nope.
That’s Tryon Palace conservator
David Taylor holding a pair of early
20th- century oyster tongs. Over
14 feet long with steel grabbers at
the end, they were used by fisher-men
to scoop up oysters from the
sand bed. Come learn more about
the work of coastal fishermen at
the North Carolina History Center
this fall.
Did you know that the
gardens at Tryon Palace are
open to the public FREE on
the first Sunday afternoon
of each month through
October? Interior tours
will also be discounted on
these Sundays. Dates are
July 4, August 1, September
5 and October 3.
Indulge the gardener within! Stop by
the Museum Shop where you’ll find a
variety of colorful plants, garden orna-ments
and even a great Tryon Palace
cap to keep the hot sun off your face.
Fossilized whale feces, the ear- bone of
an ancient whale and a large shark
tooth help tell the prehistoric story
of eastern North Carolina at the
North Carolina History Center.
Artifacts like these are always
a hit with younger visitors and
can excite their curiosity to learn
about other museum objects.
“ If you use these items that
have a ‘ wow factor’
as a teachable mo-ment,”
says Tryon
Palace Registrar
Dean Knight, “ then
perhaps you can
hold that child’s attention and tell them about some other topic, whether
it’s about the collection of fossils – or an old piece of furniture.” Read more
about the North Carolina History Center on page 18.
Getting the Scoop on Whale Poop
AND
Down the
Garden Paths
In the Shop
From the Cabinet
of Curiosities
Follow us on Facebook and keep up
with everything that’s happening
at Tryon Palace. Click “ Like” at:
www. facebook. com/ TryonPalace
or look for the Facebook link on
our website.
T aking care of hundreds of
shoes, hats, breeches and
dresses may seem like a daunting
task, but for Tryon Palace
historic clothing coordinator
Laura Poppe, it’s just another day
on the job.
A trip to Laura’s workroom
on the second floor of the Jones
House is a sartorial treat, with
peacock feathers, top hats,
costumes in various stages of
construction and repair – and of
course yards and yards of fabric
– lining every available surface.
It’s serious eye candy for any
fan of fashion, and Laura is no
exception. “ One of my favorite
parts of the job when I got here
was just being able to come in
and see what an awesome stash
of fabric Tryon Palace had and
imagining all the wonderful
things I could make with it,”
says Laura. “ I live by the mantra
that whoever dies with the most
fabric wins.”
HisNtoereyd Tleo ladn Wd Tithhread
“ We’ve come a long way from the days when
those original costumes were seen more as
pretty clothes than as teaching tools.”
Laura Poppe at work in the Palace kitchen wearing one of the costumes she created.
Encounters
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SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 5
If some folks are born with a silver
spoon in their mouths, Laura Poppe
began life with a thimble in her hand
and a supportive mother. “ I’ve been
sewing as long as I can remember,” she
says. “ My mother was a textile major
and she taught me most of my sewing
knowledge and inspired me to go
further with it.” Go she did. By the age
of 14 the young seamstress was making
garments for herself and at 16 was
teaching sewing classes for the 4- H
club. At the same time, a bourgeoning
interest in costuming and historical
research translated into “ making a lot
of costumes for my entire family.”
After a stint studying graphic
design in college (“ I enjoyed it, but it
really wasn’t what I wanted to do.”),
three years ago she jumped at an
opportunity to work at Tryon Palace.
The rest is history – literally. One of
her first responsibilities was to bring
the Tryon Palace costume collection
more in line with accurate historical
representation. Most of the costumes
had been around for a long time,
and they reflected a 1950’ s aesthetic
more than they did period- authentic
garments.
“ When I first got to the Palace we
had only two pairs of stays and they
were rarely worn,” she recalls. “ Very
little costuming was as historically
accurate as we wanted. We’ve come a
long way from the days when those
original costumes were seen more as
pretty clothes than as teaching tools.
Back then people didn’t always
realize that those differences
in period styles, the details in
authenticity, can be very helpful
in teaching the public about
history.”
One case in point:
stays – those ubiquitous
eighteenth- century
female undergarments.
Although worn
unseen underneath
Laura’s favorite costume is this one worn by historic
interpreter Karen Ipock. Laura designed the gown
and, with the help of two volunteer seamstresses and
an embroiderer, completed it after about two weeks
of labor. The fabric is changeable green/ blue taffeta,
trimmed in self- fabric ruching with metallic silver em-broidery.
The ruffles and flounces are of a fine white
voile. The gown is a sacque- back gown with matching
petticoat worn over a full complement of eighteenth-century
undergarments, including a hoop petticoat to
give the skirt its fullness. Karen is also wearing a high
wig that matches her natural hair color.
“ I love to dispel myths – corsets were
not really torture devices – and I love
showing visitors that costumes are
another important part of history.”
a dress, stays are not only necessary
for historical accuracy, but they also
play an important role in correctly
representing how people moved and
carried themselves during a particular
time in history.
“ A woman’s posture was very
different in the eighteenth century;
you held yourself with your shoulders
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T he family that
volunteers together
stays together. At
least that’s the case for the
Poppe family of Greenville, all
of whom – parents included –
are active volunteers at Tryon
Palace. They have Palace
staff member Laura Poppe to thank for it.
Laura, the eldest of five Poppe siblings,
encouraged all her family to get involved
at the Palace – including 11- year- old Ethan
who confesses, “ I was dragged along
because everybody else went!”
Mom Paula saw it as a way to stay in
touch with what her eldest daughter loved
doing and as an opportunity for the family
to experience history outside a textbook.
“ We love historic sites. We homeschool
our kids, so whenever the opportunity
would come up for a field trip to a historic
site, off we’d go! We even came to Tryon
Palace’s homeschool day events when
the kids were younger. I n fact, I believe
we participated in one of the very first
events. When Laura started working here
and we found out we could volunteer, it
just seemed a natural thing to do!”
The Poppe siblings are involved in
activities including playing lawn games,
being character interpreters at various
events and working at the “ coffee house”
during Christmas candlelights. Music is a
big draw for three of the Poppes – Seth
( 15), Jenna ( 17) and Brianne ( 19) – who
enjoy performing on violin, recorder,
harpsichord and flute at the annual
Tryon Palace Candlelight celebration.
In fact, playing violin at Palace events is
Seth Poppe’s favorite volunteer activity
although he readily admits, “ I did enjoy
playing a pickpocket!”
The Poppe parents also pitch in to help as
often as they can. “ Our favorite volunteer
time is Christmas candlelight,” says Mrs.
Poppe. “ We enjoy participating when
there are so many people attending and
most are excited about the holiday. We
love seeing the fireworks and this year
singing Christmas carols on the back lawn.
I have enjoyed participating in spinning
and felting the most; my husband enjoys
handing out cookies and cider, interacting
with visitors and playing lawn games with
the kids.”
While history is an active interest for
the Poppe clan, they recognize that’s not
always the case with other young people
and they have some decided opinions why.
Jenna puts it bluntly: “ There are so many
history books that just give you facts and
are dull.” Seth offers another perspective.
“ Maybe it’s because we think that history
should be laid out in chronological order.
I’m reading Herodotus and his Histories
for school right now and he goes on little
rabbit trails in his telling that don’t stay
Seth, Jenna and Laura Poppe entertain visitors at the annual Tryon
Palace Christmas Candlelight celebration.
Poppes Flourish
at Tryon Palace
“ There are so many history books that
just give you facts and are dull.”
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 7
rolled back and a certain curve to your spine,” explains Laura.
“ Stays ensured your correct posture because when properly fitted
they help hold your shoulders back. If you slouch, that’s when
they can dig in and be really uncomfortable. You cannot achieve
the fashionably conical ‘ look’ of the eighteenth century without
stays, and back then it was just not an option socially to leave the
house without wearing them.”
Laura constructs most of the stays used by the costumed
interpreters, with the occasional help of some handy volunteers.
It is a laborious and time- consuming task, especially since she also
makes the patterns. She does use a sewing machine to help her
construct the up to one hundred channels required for inserting
the boning supports. However, there is still much handwork
to be done, including the approximately forty eyelets that she
meticulously sews by hand with tiny, even stitches.
Ensuring authenticity takes time – a lot of it. “ Sewing the eyelets
can take up to a week or more depending on how much time I
can spend on them; if I work solely on eyelets, two days tops.” But
she adds, “ I usually don’t have that luxury. It can take me a month
or two to make a pair of stays since I’m always working on other
projects at the same time.”
As Tryon Palace’s resident mantua- maker, Laura is responsible
for designing and crafting all the new gowns being worn in the
Palace and throughout the site, spanning a clothing period of
about one hundred years. For inspiration, she studies original
antique garments whenever possible, reviews many books and
primary sources such as prints and paintings, and visits museum
collections. She has also taken historic clothing courses at
Colonial Williamsburg. She enjoys working with the eighteenth-century
clothing the most; “ I feel like I understand more how
and why they did things with their clothing. It clicks with me
in chronological order. Y ou get a little
background information about the
culture and everyday lives of people
through these rabbit trails. I also like
Charles Coffin’s American history books
because he tells lots of stories.”
What advice do they have for making
history more interesting to young people?
Change the reading material, say Seth
and Jenna: “ Kids need to be reading
more firsthand accounts, reading books
that tell history like a story.” Their mother
agrees. “ Let them read real accounts
from people who were actually there,
or that tell the point of view of average
people. Put real books about exciting
adventures in history in their hands. Visit
actual historical sites. Act out history –
you’re on that track at Tryon Palace.”
Given all their history- centered
activities, we wondered if there might be
a budding historian in the Poppe bunch.
So far, it doesn’t look like it. Brianne
is working towards a degree in zoo-keeping,
Jenna is continuing her training
to be a piano technician and Seth is
planning to continue his violin studies; he
remains undecided about what he’ll study
in college. As for the youngest, Ethan: “ I
want to be an entomologist.”
Whatever the future holds for them,
one thing’s for certain: these are no
garden- variety Poppes!
“ It’s a wonderful feeling
when I’ve made a beautiful
dress that an interpreter
loves and loves wearing.
It gives me such a sense of
accomplishment.”
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Paula Poppe helps out with lawn games during an
event on the South Lawn.
more. I’m always learning; I’ve already
corrected some of the things I made
when I first got here because I have
found better research. Knowing how
to find quality information and who
to ask has been a huge part of my
job.”
Given the detailed nature of the
work, it is not surprising that a
relatively small number of new
costumes are produced each year,
especially taking into account the
caps, neckerchiefs, aprons and other
accessories that Laura also must make.
In addition, there’s the mending,
maintenance and alterations that need
to be done to existing costumes. It
can take up to two weeks to make one
gown using a modern sewing machine
to help a little with inside seams. A
“ Gown Workshop” that she organized
for Tryon Palace interpreters this past
January yielded a bonanza of eight new
gowns in one month. Laura taught the
participants how to drape the fabric
and fit the garment directly on the
body and supervised the sewing of the
costumes. “ We have some very talented
seamstresses who are really interested
in the history and accuracy of what
they are wearing and I am very pleased
with how far their knowledge of period
costuming has come,” she says. “ They
really like to look as authentic as
possible. It was a lot of fun to do the
workshop with them.”
Laura remains busy away from the
sewing machine as well. Throughout
the year she teaches workshops,
participates in the spinning and
weaving program at the Palace and
can often be found on site as a
costumed interpreter. She loves having
opportunities to interact with the
public and to talk about her favorite
topic, historic clothing. “ I love to
dispel myths – corsets were not really
torture devices – and I love showing
The mantua- maker’s workroom is
always filled with interesting
items. White and burgundy
hat, 1770s. Covered in fine
white muslin with bur-gundy
silk trimming
and decorated with
pearls, ruching and
ostrich plumes.
Brown wool stays used in the 1770s.
These are made of linen canvas with
a wool outer fabric and boned with
reed. They have a leather binding as
well and lace in both the front and back
for ease in dressing.
Detail of a
stomacher, a fabric
panel that decorated
the front opening of a
woman’s gown. This version fea-tures
tabs at the sides that allow
the stomacher to be pinned in
place while dressing. It is trimmed
in ruching of fine cotton and silver
embroidery.
Patchwork pockets based
on an original pair ca. 1810.
Pockets like these are attached
to a waistband and worn
on either side of a lady
underneath the pocket
slits in her petticoat; they
remain invisible, but easily
accessible.
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 9
“ Like food, clothing is one of the most
effective ways of teaching history.”
Want to join in the fun?
Tryon Palace is always looking for dedicated volunteers, young and old! We have interesting opportunities
available to fit every interest and schedule. For more information, contact Laurie Bowles at: ( 252) 514- 2395, or
e- mail her at: lbowles@ tryonpalace. org.
visitors that costumes are another important part of history. People don’t
always understand about fashion. They’ll want to know why people wore
caps, whether it was for reasons of health, for instance. Sometimes I have
to explain it was just because that was the fashion! Just like in the 1940s
when a well- dressed woman would not go out without her gloves and hat.
It’s the same principle. Fashion evolves along with peoples’ lives.” On Laura’s
agenda is a fall fashion show. Although the details are still being worked out,
she plans to present the different layers of garments worn and to display
both outer and undergarments. “ I’d like to present it more as a story about
clothing to encourage interaction with the public. Like food, clothing is one
of the most effective ways of teaching history. It’s so accessible, it’s something
that people can really relate to and understand, something they have a
connection to.”
Off the job, Laura’s hobbies include photography and, not surprisingly,
sewing. She designs and sews many of her own clothes and all her own
costumes. She freely admits, “ It is amazing if I have a day when I don’t take
a stitch in a garment!” Another interest of this self- styled “ history nerd” are
the Civil War reenactments in which she participates as often as time allows.
She confesses, “ Dressing up and camping are two of my favorite activities;
it’s my dream vacation!”
Back in her busy workroom, Laura Poppe admits that the job does hold
its challenges. “ There’s so much to be done and I’m only one person.
Fortunately, I have a couple of volunteers who help me out in the shop one
or two days a week. They are so very helpful!” In the end, the rewards seem
to outweigh any negatives. “ I’m doing something now that I really love.
Being able to spend time talking with people about the realities of clothing
and history is great. The research, the design process and the terrific people I
get to work with are all favorite parts of the job.” And, she adds with a smile
as she picks up some handwork, “ It’s a wonderful feeling when I’ve made
a beautiful dress that an interpreter loves and loves wearing. It gives me
such a sense of accomplishment.” Looking at one of her beautifully crafted
creations, it’s easy to see why. 
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F ifteen years ago, descendants of the Holland
family of New Bern donated a remarkable
life- sized portrait of a young Craven County
woman to Tryon Palace. “ We knew it was a painting
that had significant potential for the collection; it’s a
local painting which makes it an especially important
acquisition for us and it is rare to have a portrait of this
scale. Unfortunately it was not in any condition to be
exhibited,” recalls Deputy Director Philippe Lafargue
who was the Tryon Palace conservator at the time.
“ Efforts to secure grant money for its conservation
were unsuccessful, and we were faced with space
considerations because of its size; we really didn’t have
a place to exhibit it.” So the painting went into storage
to prevent further damage, waiting for the right time to
make its debut.
A Southern Belle
Gets a Makeover
Collections Close- up
Above: Time had not been kind to this
painting. A combination of accumulated
dirt, wear and tear, smoke and water
damage, and inexpert retouching had
marred and dimmed the once vibrant
portrait.
Left: Conservation treatment by the
Richmond Conservation Studio returned
the bloom to this young Craven County
woman and prepared her for a debut at
the North Carolina History Center.
12 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
With the construction of the North
Carolina History Center, Tryon Palace
jumped at the opportunity to exhibit
the painting as part of its new Regional
History Museum. But it was clear that
more than 150 years after her portrait
was painted, this Southern lady was
badly in need of a makeover. Tryon
Palace turned to the art conservation
laboratory of Cleo Mullins whose
firm, Richmond Conservation Studio,
specializes in the conservation of
paintings and decorative objects. Over
many months, she and her team would
accomplish what she terms “ a major
transformation.”
The first step was to conduct a
thorough inspection of the painting’s
structure and condition and get a
complete photographic record. It was,
simply put, not a pretty sight. The
painting was covered with so many
layers of dirt, grime and yellowed
varnish that its original colors were
largely obscured, and the young
woman’s once youthful complexion
resembled a piece of old leather.
Previous crude attempts at cleaning
and restoration had left thick patches
of oil paint that had hardened to the
point of being almost intractable.
The paint in some areas had cracked
or flaked off and numerous stains,
flyspecks and inexpert
attempts at paint retouching
marred the surface. During
one of the previous
restorations the painting
had been attached with glue
and wallpaper paste onto a
piece of cardboard which
had begun to separate from
the original canvas and was
now causing blistering on the
surface. Water and mildew
Small test swatches were cleaned to determine
the right combination of solvents to use to
clean off as much of the grime as possible. As
shown in the detail, the results of the test clean-ing
of the tablecloth were especially dramatic.
damage were also apparent and there were indications that the painting may
have been exposed to fire. Somewhere in time, Ms. Mullins says, the painting
“ had gotten a very good soaking.”
Ms. Mullins also found a number of tears in the painting, leading to some
interesting speculation. Family legend had it that the painting was damaged
by Yankee soldiers during the Civil War. But, as Ms. Mullins points out, “ If
the Yankees had spent time to stop and slash every Southern painting they are
accused of having damaged, they would
have never had time to win the war!”
Still, an encounter with Yankee soldiers
is not out of the question. Ms. Mullins
estimates that the tears occurred “ fairly
early on” and “ were not the type of jagged
complex tears that you typically see when something falls
into a canvas.” Instead, she adds, the tears are “ straight, clean
vertical slits done with something very sharp. You can’t rule
out the Yankees.” In addition, the conservators found that
the painting’s top and side edges had been cut down from
its original larger size, possibly when the painting had been
reframed sometime in the early twentieth century.
After thoroughly assessing the condition, the conservation
team began a nearly five- month process of structural repair,
cleaning and inpainting, with the goal of bringing the
painting back as close to its original condition as possible.
First the painting was carefully “ released” from its frame
and stretcher supports. Small test patches were cleaned to
determine the best solvents to use to clean the large canvas.
After protecting the surface of the painting with a special
plastic- coated paper and using a temporary stretcher to hold
the painting in place, lab technician Beth Fulton used large
spatulas to slowly coax off the cardboard that had been glued
onto the canvas. Smaller bits of cardboard, paper and cloth
patches, and filling materials were peeled and carved off by
hand. The back was vacuumed, tears were repaired and the
back of the painting was newly lined with a layer of pre-tensioned
polyester fabric for protection and support.
Over the years, the original canvas had begun to separate from
its cardboard backing, causing blistering and flaking to multiple
areas of the painting’s surface.
“ If the Yankees had spent time to stop
and slash every Southern painting they are
accused of having damaged, they would
have never had time to win the war!”
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14 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
Cleo Mullins then turned her attention to the
front and to a careful process of removing layer upon
layer of dirt, varnish and clumsy overpainting and
retouching. It was a painstaking, time- consuming task
that at times required the use of sharp little sticks to
carefully pry out grime that had become completely
impacted. “ We just had to keep working at it slowly,”
recalls Ms. Mullins, “ juggling between cleaning the
dirt and dissolving many multiple layers of varnish.
We also used scalpel blades to pick out as much of the
old filling materials and overpaint as possible.”
The results were dramatic. With the yellowed varnish
and the decades of dirt gone, the painting literally
came to light – with some surprises. “ Looking at
the painting before treatment I would have said that
the curtain was green or yellow. It turned out to be
lavender and that was a shock!” says Ms. Mullins.
The cleaning revealed a table covered with a vibrant
red cloth with gold trimming; on top, a vase of white
porcelain with gold trim and a bank of pink roses over
a shaded green background. The vase is filled with a
beautiful spring bouquet of pink roses, orange day
lilies, Madonna lilies, freesias and wheat fronds. And
most satisfyingly, perhaps, a luminous young woman
with a peaches and cream complexion and a shy little
The pure white areas are the filling materials used to fill the gaps
in the paint layer ( to bring it up to the level of the remaining
original paint) and the dark mottling/ spots on her face are the
remains of a previous crude attempt at retouching; these spots
proved to be intractable. Those areas were all compensated for
during the inpainting stage of treatment, when dry pigments
were mixed with a clear acrylic medium to match the colors and
then dotted in the losses and over the stains.
“ We knew it was a painting that had significant potential
for the collection; it’s a local painting which makes it an
especially important acquisition for us and it is rare to
have a portrait of this scale. Unfortunately it was not in
any condition to be exhibited.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modern conservation treatments
focus on repairing and stabilizing old
damage, while regaining the appear-ance
and preserving the integrity of
the original work.
smile reemerged. The details of the shirring in her white muslin
gown, the lace trim on her dress, the white flower garland in her
hair and her dainty shoes all became vivid again.
But the work was not over. Next came the process of inpainting
the areas where the paint had flaked away or where intractable
remnants of prior retouching with gobs of oil paint had altered
the original. Another member of the team, Lorraine Brevig, went
to work using tiny brush strokes and cross hatching to ensure
a minimal impact on the original painting, while bringing the
problem areas as close to their original appearance as possible. “ It’s
a real trial and error process,” says Ms. Mullins. “ Lorraine takes
her palette full of known pigments from the time period and goes
through them to painstakingly color match each damaged area. It
takes a very long time to do an excellent job.”
By mounting the painting to a layer of reinforced fiberglass
fabric slightly larger than the original surface, the conservators
were also able to open up a few inches of the original edges of
the painting that had previously been folded over and tacked,
bringing it closer to its original size.
Unlike the heavy- handed efforts at restoration that the painting
had suffered in the past, Ms. Mullins’ team of trained professionals
used materials and techniques that can be easily reversed at a
future time when the painting might again require conservation.
“ Conservators today are cautious, perhaps overly so,” she explains.
“ We use materials that are designed to be as stable as possible over
the long run. We want anything we add to be easily removable
without causing damage to the original painting. And we isolate
all the treatments and inpainting we do, not only to protect the
condition of the original canvas, but to preserve the distinction
between what has been done as a conservation treatment now and
what was done by the original artist.���
Our beautiful young lady will be entertaining callers at the
North Carolina History Center. Come and meet her. We’re sure
you will find her as charming as we do. 
“ Looking at the painting
before treatment I would
have said that the curtain
was green or yellow. It
turned out to be lavender
and that was a shock!”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Do these flowers represent youth and innocence, or are they
commemorating a young woman’s wedding? Even the clues in
the painting lead to more questions.
A rose by any other name...
W hat’s in a name? Plenty, actually. A personal identity. A story. A lifetime. When
it comes to names, however, this young woman knows how to keep a secret. For
years, the staff at Tryon Palace has been calling her “ Miss Bishop;” the painting’s
elderly donor had forgotten her first name, but thought that she was a Miss Bishop who
married a Mr. Holland of New Bern. But we have no real information to indicate definitively
who she is or even when she posed for her portrait. So for now, Miss Bishop she remains.
As she waits to take her place in the North Carolina History Center, the search is on to
restore this young woman her true identity. Deciphering the clues in her portrait could reveal
some important things about her. We know she was no country bumpkin; the open book
and pages of prints on the table next to her are symbolic of a young woman who is educated
and cultivated. Her refined dress and shoes, the gold pocket watch peeping out of her sash,
and the four slim golden rings on her fingers indicate a degree of family prosperity. In the
background the elegantly carved table, the fine porcelain vase and the richly patterned carpet
all point to a young woman who either came from a wealthy family – or married into one.
We’re not sure how old she is in this painting. Guesstimates put Miss Bishop’s age anywhere
from 13 to 20. Did she pose for a coming- of- age portrait? Is this her wedding portrait? The
rings on her fingers predate the period when a ring on the fourth finger meant a wedding
ring. The beautiful flower wreath on her head could have been worn for a ball or a wedding;
however, says Tryon Palace curator Nancy Packer, “ The wreath did remind me of some of the
wax and silk orange blossom wreaths that you can see in some period examples
of bridal head pieces.” Although Miss Bishop wears white, that doesn’t
necessarily indicate a wedding dress; Ms. Packer points out that it’s a reflection
of the Greek Revival aesthetic of the period and that the color was frequently
worn as a “ best” dress.
As in any good mystery the clues themselves can be confusing. “ The vase with
the flower arrangement does make me wonder,” says the curator. “ The fact that
they chose flowers alone is interesting. The flowers could represent her youth
and innocence; whereas if you saw a fruit arrangement, for instance, it could
refer to the fruitfulness of her womb and make you think that it’s more likely a
portrait of a young married woman. It also strikes me that the most dominant
flowers in that vase are lilies, especially white lilies, which are, of course, an
ancient symbol of purity – very strongly suggesting that this is an unmarried
( or about to be married) young woman.” Does the handkerchief in her hand
have some significance? Maybe, or it could just be a portrait convention of the
time. It’s another question that requires further research.
Miss Bishop’s clothes hold additional clues that help in dating the portrait.
While the late Georgian period saw the waistline of women’s dresses move
higher to just below the bust, by the 1820s the waistline had begun to creep
down closer to its natural place. The waist on Miss Bishop’s beautiful dress
16 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 17
hovers a bit above where waistlines would remain later in the 1830s. Her lace-trimmed
puffy sleeves show some of the exaggerated sleeve silhouette that would
become very popular and would reach peak fullness about 1835. But even fashion
clues can prove to be red herrings. “ Her shoes are typical of those worn from the
very early 1800s even through the 1860s. The details of the gown such as the lace
on the sleeves, the shape of the neck and waistline, the ruching on the front of the
bodice, the width of the hem – all these are clues to the date,” says Tryon Palace
costume specialist Laura Poppe. “ Some of them, such as the bodice ruching, are
misleading. That sort of detail is often seen on later- period dresses and yet the
shape of her gown is much earlier in style.” While Laura Poppe and Nancy Packer
continue to scour through examples and period illustrations of women’s fashion
to narrow the date further, their best estimate is that the portrait was painted
somewhere between 1828 and 1835.
There is no signature on the painting and according to family lore the portrait
was painted by an itinerant New York painter. This is probably true. During the
nineteenth century it was common for artists to travel throughout the South
to display their work and offer their services to well- to- do and well- established
southern families. Among those who could afford to pay for them, portraits
became one of the most popular ways of promoting the importance of one’s social
status. The sheer size of this portrait is itself a clue: a life- size portrait such as this one was
very unusual, says curator Nancy Packer. “ This was a serious status symbol.”
The painting itself was executed if not by a top- tier portraitist, certainly by one with some
considerable skill. “ He’s definitely more skilled at certain things than others,” she says. “ Some
of the details of the lace on her dress, those reflections on her watch chain and on the flowers
in her hair are very well done and her face is really lovely. I think he also did a great job with
the vase and the table. Some of the proportions are off in her arm and it starts to break down
a little towards the bottom. The artist is clearly having some trouble with perspective and
scale and the young woman looks like she’s floating, but overall it’s a wonderful portrait. I
think she would have been very pleased.”
So where does a history sleuth go next? One avenue of inquiry is the carpet in the painting;
the unknown artist went to some trouble to provide a very diligent representation of its
design. “ He did that carpet with so much detail it might be possible to find a sample that is
documented or find a sample that has been reproduced,” says Nancy Packer. “ It’s clearly a
very specific carpet and I think we may be able to find it in the records somewhere.”
The curator also plans to do some further research in local newspapers of the period to try
to identify any artists who might have been traveling through
the area at the time.
Following the genealogy trail may yield the most promising
results. Since the painting came down through relatives of
the Holland family, well- to- do landowners and merchants
in Craven County, that’s where Nancy Packer plans to
concentrate her efforts and work her way through the
ancestry. “ I think there’s a lot more to be researched in that
family and more work to do with searching through the local
papers of the time. I’ve gotten some good leads from people
who’ve done a lot of genealogical research in this area. I think
we can find her.” 
Above: Miss Bishop’s
clothing provides clues to
the date of her portrait.
Her sleeves are just begin-ning
to show the puffy
silhouette that would
reach much larger propor-tions
and peak by 1835.
The unknown artist has
done an especially skillful
job with the lace details of
the sleeve.
Bottom left: Is the beauti-fully
hemmed handker-chief
in her hand meaning-ful
or just a convention
common to portraits of
the time? That’s another
question that merits
further research. The very
detailed rendition of the
carpet may also help in
dating the portrait.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
T oo often, contemplating a visit to a history museum
can become a Brussels- sprouts kind of moment – you
know it’s good for you, but you don’t know if you’ll
actually like it. History can have an image problem, especially
with younger people who may be turned off by the thought of
“ Don’t Touch!” environments full of quaint objects, paintings
of stiff- looking ancestors and musty documents about events
that seem far removed from contemporary life.
Tryon Palace is about to change all that. This fall the North
Carolina History Center sweeps away any stereotype of the dry,
North Carolina History Count
to the
down
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 19
The central hall is the first gathering
place, containing an information and
ticketing desk, informational and
directional signage, and a large space for
programming special events. Directly off
the hall are a new gift shop, the 200- seat
Cullman Hall performing arts theater
and two smaller orientation theaters. To
the southeast, a more intimate special
exhibits space hosts a variety of revolving
exhibits and a glass- clad café provides a
spot for a casual meal.
Two new museums within the
Center combine history and high- tech
to provide unique intergenerational
learning opportunities. The Regional
History Museum envelopes visitors in
the grand sweep of the area’s history,
while the Pepsi Family Center provides
an engaging, hands- on environment in
which families become “ citizens” of a
19th- century coastal community. There
is also an exciting new way to tour Tryon
Palace’s historic houses and gardens.
We asked lead exhibit designer Dr. Clay
Gish of ESI Design to give everyone a
sneak peak of what’s in store.
History With a Perspective
“ One of the important reasons for
building the North Carolina History
Center was to give people more options
for what they can do here, as well as more
ways to explore this region’s history,” says
Dr. Gish. “ Now they are going to have a
lot more choices depending on what their
interests are.”
If anything, history is about telling
stories and when it comes to enjoying a
good story, empathy and understanding
go hand in hand. The North Carolina
History Center takes the idea of “ walk a
mile in my shoes” and uses it to engage
visitors with the stories that unfold
History Center
The Regional History Museum is one of
two new interactive museums in the
North Carolina History Center.
dusty museum and replaces it with a lively, high- tech, family-friendly
attraction where visitors of all ages can see that history
isn’t just a thing of the past.
Some of the changes to the Tryon Palace visitor experience will
be immediately obvious. Instead of arriving at the repurposed
1950s- era visitor center currently in use, guests will now begin
their visit at the North Carolina History Center; they will
immediately find themselves in the soaring, light- filled Mattocks
Hall with its exposed architectural features that harken
back to the days when the site was a boat- building facility.
20 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
as they tour the Tryon Palace historic
buildings, gardens and the North Carolina
History Center.
For their tour of Tryon Palace, visitors
can now choose a particular “ perspective”
on the past: women, children, African-
Americans ( free and enslaved), workers,
town leaders and two history professional
tours: architectural historian and a gardener’s
tour. “ What each of these tours does is give
you a particular focus for your visit,” says
exhibit designer Dr. Gish. “ Say you want to
take the African- American tour. As you go
through all the historic buildings, in each
one of them you’ll learn about the lives of
African- Americans who lived and worked in
this area. For instance, if you visit the Hay
House you’ll learn there was an enslaved
woman and a girl who lived and worked
there, perhaps mother and daughter, and
you’ll learn about how they spent their days
in that house. In the Stanly house you’ll hear
about the illegitimate son, John Carruthers
Stanly; he earned his own freedom and was
able to buy the freedom of his family and
become a very successful businessman, quite
wealthy. Later in life he actually helped his
white half- brother out of an economic jam.
We focus on the personal stories of real
people as much as possible because that’s
what brings history to life.”
Navigating Through History
To help them create a custom- made
journey through the past, visitors will be
able to use a nifty little tool called a “ History
Navigator” for the duration of their visit.
The History Navigator is a personal hand-held
device that extends the information
provided by human guides and exhibits – a
kind of GPS to the past. An on- camera
narrator acts as a personal tour guide
throughout the various sites, telling visitors
about the people who lived and worked
there and suggesting additional items for
exploration.
Using the History Navigator, visitors can
watch videos, listen to stories and music,
and look at historical photos and images.
( Inside the historic houses, visitors are asked
“ One of the important reasons for building the
North Carolina History Center was to give people
more options for what they can do here, as well as
more ways to explore this region’s history.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
At the Pepsi Family
Center, a young visi-tor
uses a “ chipper”
to keep resin flowing
for use in the turpen-tine
still.
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 21
to turn off the Navigator so they can interact
with the living history interpreters and fellow
visitors.)
Using a map of the site, visitors choose
where they wish to visit. When they arrive
at a historic house, the History Navigator
relays the stories pertinent to that house and
the perspective they have chosen to explore.
For instance, at the Dixon House, visitors
exploring the Worker- Artisan Tour hear the
story of Lewis Bond, a master cabinet maker,
and his young apprentices – William, Robert,
James and Henry. “ That kind of perspective
view on history makes this concept really
unique here,” says Dr. Gish.
At any point, visitors can select other roles
to explore a variety of experiences and points
of view. “ Suppose you have just visited the
Palace kitchen and learned what all the people
who work in the kitchen do, but you then
wonder what life was like for the family,”
says the designer. “ Switch to the town leader
perspective on the History Navigator to
find out. Or say you want to switch to the
children’s tour; at that point you can find out
what kids did who were also working at the
Palace at this time.” More than a way- finder,
the History Navigator is designed to spark
curiosity and make connections using the
kind of technology that drives contemporary
life today.
The Regional History
Museum
In the Regional History
Museum, visitors discover the
history of North Carolina’s
central coastal region through
artifacts, graphics, audio and
live demonstrations that show
how the experience of people
changed from the region’s
earliest days through the early
20th century. Exhibition
areas are organized around
the themes that bind humans
across generations: people,
work, environment and
community.
“ We take the environment
as a starting point because it
really did determine where
people chose to settle and
the kinds of industry they
developed,” says exhibit
designer Dr. Clay Gish.
Left: The History Naviga-tor
acts as a high- tech tour
guide, creating opportuni-ties
to view history from
different perspectives.
Below: The Regional His-tory
Museum combines
technology with more
traditional museum exhib-its
to enhance and extend
learning opportunities for
all ages.
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22 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
Entering the Regional History Museum,
visitors find themselves immersed in an
abstract sylvan environment with large
murals and cutout shapes of long leaf pines,
once the dominant eco- system of the region.
In a clearing ahead, there’s a large circular
projection area where visitors can gather
around and choose from among nine
different video presentations exploring
geologic history, native peoples, European
settlement and how the region developed
over time.
A river of light – lighting effects that ripple
and shimmer like water – emphasizes the
rivers’ importance to the region and leads
visitors on a path through the museum
and through the progression of life from
a natural setting toward a more urbanized
environment. Throughout, a combination
of graphics, artifacts, activity kiosks and
audio first- person accounts weave the story
of the men, women and children, free and
enslaved, who made this area unique.
The Pepsi Family Center
Technology takes center stage over at the
Pepsi Family Center, an interactive museum
filled with hands- on activities geared to the
7 to 12- year- old age group.
In the Pepsi Family Center, children,
families and the young at heart begin their
journey to the past when “ they enter a
time machine that looks like a spacecraft,”
says Dr. Gish. The doors close and soon
the Time Machine whirs to life as a series
of historical images depicting the passage
of time swirl rapidly counterclockwise,
whizzing visitors back to the 19th century.
“ Then it suddenly stops, the door opens
and you step outside and see a sign that says
‘ Welcome to 1835,’” says Dr. Gish.
As visitors emerge from the Time Machine,
they cross a small wooden bridge to find
themselves in a little 19th- century coastal
town complete with a house, a “ downtown”
shops area, a wharf with a ship in harbor,
and a pine forest surrounding a turpentine
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On board the Snap
Dragon, young-sters
will find that
smooth sailing
requires teamwork
and analytical skills.
still. A four- sided clock tower stands in the
center of the Town Square where a virtual
Mayor waits to greet visitors and explain the
various activities.
At the Pepsi Family Center all the
activities are computer- enhanced, hands- on
experiences led by virtual hosts; for instance,
young visitors can create a virtual quilt aided
by the lady of the house who is hosting a
quilting bee. In another area the Cook, an
enslaved woman, helps kids prepare a meal
for the family; there’s a newspaper office
where kids can make a newspaper and a shop
where they help the grocer pull together
shopping orders. In the forest they’ll find the
tools to make turpentine in the distillery.
All the activities will require analytical
thinking and teamwork. “ For instance, on
the ship, if you are the helmsman there’s an
actual ship’s wheel that you are turning and
there’s a compass that you have to read,”
says Dr. Gish. “ You will have to work with
the first mate to get the navigation of the
ship right and with the lookout and people
working the sails to figure out which way to
adjust them to get the maximum wind speed
for the journey.”
Just as in a true- life sea adventure, it won’t
always be smooth sailing. “ At some point on
this trip a big storm comes up so the kids
will have to deal with the ship in a crisis
mode for part of the voyage,” says Dr. Gish.
“ There’s an aspect like that for each of the
activities; the aim is to have kids working
together to accomplish a goal.”
History Is Not One- Size- Fits- All
Whatever your interests, whatever your age,
the opening of the North Carolina History
Center means that there will be many ways
to explore Tryon Palace and its campus of
activities.
And if technology isn’t your thing, no
problem. “ You can still go on the guided tour
through the Palace, you can still do a self-guided
tour through the historic houses and
anywhere you want on the grounds – with
the History Navigator or not, that’s optional.
You will still find the gracious hospitality and
the living history programs that Tryon Palace
does so well,” says Dr. Gish. “ But for people
who want to know more, they can also listen
to the first- person accounts, they can do the
interactive activities that will make it more
interesting for the more adventurous – I
don’t want to say just younger people either,
because plenty of older people are eager to
try new things too.”
The countdown begins! The North
Carolina History Center is scheduled to
open fall 2010. 
“ We take the environment as a starting
point because it really did determine
where people chose to settle and the
kinds of industry they developed within. ”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10%
Cert no. SW- COC- 001530
24 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
F rom the earliest stages of the design process
of the North Carolina History Center,
Tryon Palace was determined to create a
building that would preserve the history and culture
of its surrounding environment and would be a
model of sustainable building design. Why go green?
It was an easy decision to make.
Sustainably designed facilities and sites provide
cost- effective, healthy and pleasant environments by
minimizing environmental impacts, life- cycle costs
and use of nonrenewable resources. That means
using less energy and ensuring better air quality for
everyone. A green facility made good economic and
environmental sense to us. In addition, with the
acquisition of the 6.5- acre Barbour Boat Works site
for the North Carolina History Center, we knew
we had an extraordinary opportunity to reclaim a
historic portion of the New Bern waterfront and
make it accessible and enjoyable for residents and
visitors alike. We were determined to be good
stewards of this vital waterfront setting. Tryon Palace
hired architects BJAC to provide project leadership
to accomplish sustainability within the framework
of our project goals.
Sustainable design can involve many things,
including improving indoor air quality for all users
and visitors, and increasing natural light wherever
possible to create a better interior experience and
allow us to use less energy overall. But “ going green”
also means operating cost reductions, operations and
maintenance optimization, productivity increases,
natural resource conservation, waste reduction,
recycling, performance improvement and potential
liability reduction. At the North Carolina History
Center, this translates into a number of sustainable
architectural features.
History Goes
Bald cypress and wax myrtle are part of the constructed
wetlands that act as a natural filtration system for the North
Carolina History Center.
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 25
An 80,000 gallon cistern collects water
for use in irrigation throughout the site. The Center is primarily clad in locally
manufactured brick. The use of local materials
not only helps our area’s economy by buying
locally, but also cuts down on carbon emissions
created when materials are transported from
great distances. Inside, the Mattocks Hall and
circulation areas enjoy generous natural light,
minimizing our total energy consumption and
creating open, welcoming spaces for our visitors
and staff. Natural materials such as terrazzo
and maple have been used throughout; natural
materials use less finishes and chemicals and result
in a healthier environment for building occupants.
The Center’s floor elevation is set at twelve feet
above sea level both for flood prevention and
to avoid any groundwater contamination. An
80,000- gallon rainwater and condensation cistern
catches and stores water to supply irrigation for
the surrounding landscape, decreasing our overall
water usage. The gardens around the Center
contain local, indigenous plants which require less
water and energy to maintain. Other landscaping
features include a parking area bioswale, which
uses natural plants and materials to remove silt
and pollution from automobiles from surface
runoff water. Surface runoff is directed to the
reconstructed wetlands area which functions as a
natural filtration system for water runoff from the
site, as well as for the 30 acres of the surrounding
New Bern residential area.
Redeveloping the Barbour Boat Works was an
important part of the sustainable strategy for the
North Carolina History Center. Designated as a
‘ brownfield site’ – an official term for abandoned
or underused industrial and commercial facilities
– the site had become unsightly. With the
completion of the North Carolina History Center,
this revitalization project creates a thriving public
history and recreation district – a transformation
that will benefit our community for many
generations.
Tryon Palace is proud that the new building
and site will receive LEED Silver certification.
LEED ( Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design) is an internationally recognized green
building certification system that verifies a
project was designed and built to improve
performance through energy savings, water
efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved
indoor environmental quality and stewardship of
resources.
History looks great green! 
Abundant natural lighting creates a welcoming
atmosphere and reduces total energy consumption.
26 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
William “ Bill” Drewer was many
things. A loving husband and
father, a respected colleague and
talented Principal with Quinn Evans
Architects in Washington, DC, a mentor
to many aspiring architects and young
professionals. When Bill passed away
in January, much too soon at the age
of 48, he had already left his mark on
cultural heritage projects up and down
the East Coast including, fortunately
for us, New Bern.
From 2000 until the time of his death,
Bill worked closely with Tryon Palace
in the design of the North Carolina
History Center. We all remember the
tall, lanky, unassuming guy who spent
countless hours trying to understand
who and what made Tryon Palace
work. Nearly everybody knew Bill
because Bill made a point of getting
to know nearly everybody. He spent
many hours with the staff, not only
learning about their present work
and projects, but also soliciting their
ideas about the tools they needed
to move Tryon Palace into new ways
of presenting history and enriching
visitors’ experiences. He helped us
articulate what the North Carolina
History Center could and would be.
Bill specialized in architectural
designs that were sensitive and
appropriate to historical settings, so he
spent much of his time getting to know
New Bern as well. He took his camera
on walks around town taking photos
of many buildings; photos that would
later inspire him and his team to design
a building that would fit seamlessly
into the fabric of our historic town.
Bill worked very hard to get things
right – the first time around. “ It’s
pretty remarkable that the concept of
the building he came up with 10 years
ago has not really changed much over
that time,” says Tryon Palace Deputy
Director Philippe Lafargue. “ Bill was
a very passionate professional and it
really showed in his work. He had a
wonderful, dry sense of humor, but
he also knew how and when to be
forceful in a very positive way. He was
a real advocate for protecting the
integrity of the building’s design, while
still balancing our needs as a client. It
was such a great pleasure to have been
able to work with him on this project.”
Bill’s passion translated into a great
design; that great design became
the North Carolina History Center,
a new hub for all of Tryon Palace’s
activities, a place where the past
sparks conversations about the
future, a place where visitors can be
active participants in history, rather
than passive witnesses. There’s a
saying that every job is a self- portrait
of the person who did it; we’ve got a
building at Tryon Palace that proves it.
Thanks Bill. 
Saying Good- bye to a Friend:
William Drewer ( 1962 - 2010)
The Tryon Palace Council of Friends
welcomes the following members who
have joined between March 23, 2010
and May 31, 2010.
Patron
Mr. and Mrs. Owen D. Andrews,
New Bern
Sustainer
Mr. and Mrs. William B. Rivenbark,
New Bern
Sponsor
Mr. Edward A. Blunt, New Bern
Family/ Grandparent
Mr. and Mrs. L. Drake Bratton,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dunn, New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Harris
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Ipock,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mason,
Lexington, MA
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin T. Snead,
New Bern
Ms. Priscilla P. Taylor, Chapel Hill
Supporter
Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Arthur,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Fugate,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Hurley P. Raynor,
Raleigh
Mr. and Mrs. Adam Simmons,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Smith,
Winston- Salem
Mr. Thomas S. Stewart and
Mrs. Susan Hammer, New Bern
Associate
Mrs. Mary T. Barringer, Durham
Mrs. Margaret A. Call, New Bern
Mr. Marvin W. Coghill, Wilson
Mrs. Jill S. Gammon, Raleigh
Mrs. R. Earl Jones, New Bern
Mr. Norval C. Kneten, Wilson
Mrs. Elizabeth M. Lawn, New Bern
Ms. Melinda J. Robinson, New Bern
Mr. David N. Skipper, Wilmington
Mrs. Tempe Younger, Kinston
New Friends
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 27
Events Sampler
The July 4 weekend will be a busy
and fun one at Tryon Palace with
patriotic kids’ craft activities, colonial
cricket matches, musket firing
demonstrations, and a special Tryon
Palace Fife & Drum Corps performance
followed by a dramatic 18th- century
reading of the Declaration of
Independence scheduled for July 3. On
July 4th we are holding a unique 19th-century
town celebration on the New
Bern Academy Green featuring music,
dancing and games including townball,
an early precursor to baseball! These
events are all free of charge; there is a
fee for interior tours.
Learn about 300 years of African- American history on one of our African
American Historic Downtown Walking Tours through New Bern. Tours last
approximately 90 minutes and cover 16 blocks. Reservations are required: 252-
514- 4935. Dates are July 18, August 15 and September 19 at 2: 00 p. m.; $ 4 per
adult, $ 2 per student.
On Wednesday, August 25, celebrate the anniversary of North Carolina’s First
Provincial Congress by becoming a delegate! During this interactive program,
the audience will participate in the First Provincial Congress that took place at
Tryon Palace on August 25, 1774. Craft activities for children will be included.
Time: 6: 00 p. m.; $ 4 per adult, $ 2 per student, FREE with regular admission.
On September 6 at the New
Bern Academy Green, you can
also watch the spectacle of the
1802 Stanly- Spaight duel unfold
as two 19th- century New Bern
political rivals meet in a deadly
reminder of an era when a
man’s personal honor was his
most cherished quality. Tours
of the New Bern Academy and
a concert by the Tryon Palace
Fife & Drum Corps round out
the day’s activities. FREE, 1: 00
p. m. – 4: 00 p. m.
Fans of historical fashion are in for a real treat during Démodé Fashion
Weekend, Friday, September 10 – Sunday, September 12. Démodé – meaning
outmoded – never looked so good! New York may be showing off all the latest
fashions this week but come see our classics and explore the world of 18th-century
fashion. The weekend will include a variety of fashion shows, period
demonstrations, tea and light treats, and kids’ craft activities. Times and costs
vary; consult our website for more details.
Please note: programs are subject to change. For up- to- date information about
these events, tour and garden hours, and a complete listing of all our events, please
visit our website at www. tryonpalace. org, or call ( 252)- 514- 4900 or ( 800) 767- 1560.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The new North Carolina
History Center won’t be open to
the public until fall 2010, but
members of the Tryon Palace
Council of Friends will have
lunch and be given a tour of
the new Center on July 31st for
our Annual Meeting/ Friends’
Day. This will be the first official
function in the History Center
and we couldn’t be more excited
that it will be for members of
the Council of Friends.
If you are not a member
of the Friends, but want to
be part of this very special
event, please contact Karen
O’Connell at 252- 514- 4933
or koconnell@ tryonpalace. org
for membership information.
Membership information is
also available on our website at
www. tryonpalace. org.
Don’t miss this!
Be sure to check our website
often for an update on events
and activities we are planning to
celebrate the opening of the
North Carolina History Center.
We’re excited to have a special
exhibition of North Carolina’s
copy of the original Bill of Rights
coming to the Center in Septem-ber.
We’ll have more information
soon at www. tryonpalace. org.
Coming Up
The Council of Friends extends
sincere appreciation to the following
individual donors who provided private
support for Tryon Palace in 2009.
$ 250 to $ 499
Mr. and Mrs. William J. Austin, Jr.
Mrs. Martha D. Bynum
Mr. and Mrs. John Edward Davenport
Dr. and Mrs. Charles A. Deigert
Dr. Franklin G. Dill
Mr. and Mrs. Brian S. Giersch
Ms. Susan Griffin
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Hunt III
Mr. and Mrs. Oliver C. Hutaff, Jr.
Mrs. Mary Ipock
Mr. Randall King and
Ms. Virginia A. Mattern
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Mansfield
Dr. and Mrs. Nathan R. Skipper, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Skrotsky
Mr. Howard Stier and
Dr. Catherine Chew
Mr. and Mrs. John A. J. Ward
Mr. Robert Wilkinson
Ms. Kay Phillips Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Julian P. Yates
$ 500 to $ 999
Mr. and Mrs. James R. Sugg
Ms. Linda Nichols
Mrs. Elizabeth H. Sparrow
$ 1000 to $ 9999
Mr. Donald R. Arthur
W illiam Aiken Walker was a
quintessential Southern artist. Born in
1839 in Charleston, South Carolina, Walker
served in the Confederate army and was
wounded in Virginia. After the war he turned
to painting for his livelihood and for the next
50 years he traveled throughout the South
becoming the most prolific chronicler of life
in the Reconstruction era. His genre paintings
of plantations, cotton fields, and the men and
women who worked the land provide a unique
and rich record of African- American life during
the period.
Two of Walker’s paintings will be exhibited
in the North Carolina History Center. These portraits of laborers standing in a
cotton field wearing torn, well- worn clothing illustrate that while war may have
bought African- Americans their freedom, they continued to live their daily lives
close to the land that had enslaved them.
By all accounts a charming and outgoing man, Walker understood the
mystique of the “ Old South” and took advantage of a burgeoning postwar
interest for quaint mementos of a changing region. Most of his paintings are on
a small scale, which made them inexpensive and
easily portable for the tourists at the hotels and
holiday spas where he sold many of his works.
Although at the time many of his paintings were
bought as novelty souvenirs rather than fine art,
today we recognize the invaluable artistic and
historic record left by Walker. Walker’s work
was to some extent sentimental, but he never
descended to caricature or trivialization; all his
subjects are depicted with great dignity and
the painter’s careful attention to detail speaks
eloquently of African- American lives defined by
poverty and hard labor. 
Additions to the
Annual Report
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IN FOCUS
Brushstrokes of African- American History
PO Box 1007, New Bern, NC 28563

Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.

SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 1
A Southern Belle
Gets a Makeover
2 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
I n 1999 Tryon Palace had come to a crossroads. Our
mission to preserve and teach North Carolina history
had grown beyond the confines of our existing buildings.
The Tryon Palace audience was changing. As New Bern and
Tryon Palace continued to grow, so did the variety and needs
of our visitors, from families to school groups, tourists to
senior citizens. The stories that needed to be told had grown
to encompass a larger historical picture that spanned race,
class, ethnicity and gender. History was not one- size- fits- all.
Our staff realized that these visitors were also beginning to have very different
expectations about what constituted a meaningful and interesting museum experience.
Museums everywhere were struggling to respond in the face of visitor expectations that
were changing as rapidly as technology allowed.
Education was also at the forefront of our concerns. The Tryon Palace staff wanted to find
ways to better support North Carolina school curriculums and to provide distance learning
opportunities for students across the state. We needed tools to reach out to a younger
audience who all too often thought of history as something dead and irrelevant to their lives.
Not least of all, we were facing physical constraints on our ability to provide services for
visitors. We had long outgrown the small, converted gas station that had served as our
visitor center for many years.
As stewards of an important and treasured piece of North Carolina history, we wanted
to ensure that Tryon Palace grew with our audience and remained a place where a visitor
could be an active traveler through history, not just a passive follower. We needed a
gateway that would become a wonderful starting point for that journey.
The North Carolina History Center began as ideas, goals and plans. Then the work began.
For the next ten years, the concept and design of the North Carolina History Center
grew from a dynamic collaboration between the Tryon Palace staff and Tryon Palace
Commission and a number of players: exhibit designers Edwin Schlossberg Incorporated
( ESI), architects Brown Jurkowski Architectural Collaborative ( BJAC), Quinn Evans
Architects and landscape architects EDAW Inc. Working together we turned those dreams
into floor plans, building elevations and design and exhibit concepts.
With the critical financial support of the North Carolina legislature, Craven County, the
city of New Bern, Pepsi- Cola and hundreds of donors large and small, the final challenge
– building and construction – began. In a few short months we will be opening the doors
of the North Carolina History Center, a new gateway for Tryon Palace and a new way for
visitors to experience history and create lasting bonds between past, present and future.
It marks an exciting new chapter for Tryon Palace, for New Bern and for the citizens of
North Carolina.
This issue of The Palace magazine is all about telling stories. You will read about a building,
exhibits and landscape that completely change the way we interact with our visitors – and
our visitors interact with their past; you’ll learn about the rebirth of a portrait of a beautiful
young North Carolina woman; and we profile a talented young staff member whose skill
transforms 21st- century humans into visible beacons of the past.
A project ends, and a new journey begins. We invite you to come and visit; we’ve got a
lot more stories to tell.
Kay P. Williams
Director
Reflections The Palace
Volume 10 / Number 4 / Summer 2010
Editor
Maria L. Muniz
Contributors
Rebecca W. E. Edmunds, BJAC; Maria L. Muniz,
Karen O’Connell
Des ign
Christine Farver, Inspired Publishing
Photograp hy
Kyle Arrowood, Paul Brown, ESI Design,
Gennara Photography, Emily Griffin,
Nancy Hawley, Philippe Lafargue,
Katie Loveless, Northern Light Productions,
Laura Poppe, Richmond Conservation Studio,
Judy Smith, Lisa Wimpfheimer
Tr yon Palace Council of Friends
Boar d of Direc tors
President: Patricia Naumann
Vice President: Nancy Freemon
Sallie Baxter
Anne Bradford
Carson Brice
Dr. Jeffrey Crow, ex officio
Dr. Frank L. Eagles
The Honorable Judge John Patrick Exum
Dr. Sam Gilmore
Carole Beasley Kemp
Bob Mattocks, ex officio
Tom Norris
Karen O’Connell, ex officio
Mary Parrish
Cece Scott
Mary Silver
Karen Skipper
Torrey Stroud
Alice Tolson
Karen Webb
Helen White
Kay P. Williams, ex officio
Robert Zaytoun
The Palace is published quarterly to provide
information about and build support for Tryon
Palace. Funding for publication is provided by
the Tryon Palace Council of Friends. We
welcome your comments and suggestions.
Please write to us at: Editor, The Palace, PO
Box 1007, New Bern, NC 28563. E- mail: editor@
tryonpalace. org or Fax: 252- 514- 4876.
For more information about Tryon Palace,
visit our website: www. tryonpalace. org or call
252- 514- 4900, 800- 767- 1560.
Tryon Palace is a part of the North Carolina
Department of Cultural Resources, Linda
Carlisle, Secretary. www. ncculture. com.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 3 news notes
World’s largest salad tongs? Nope.
That’s Tryon Palace conservator
David Taylor holding a pair of early
20th- century oyster tongs. Over
14 feet long with steel grabbers at
the end, they were used by fisher-men
to scoop up oysters from the
sand bed. Come learn more about
the work of coastal fishermen at
the North Carolina History Center
this fall.
Did you know that the
gardens at Tryon Palace are
open to the public FREE on
the first Sunday afternoon
of each month through
October? Interior tours
will also be discounted on
these Sundays. Dates are
July 4, August 1, September
5 and October 3.
Indulge the gardener within! Stop by
the Museum Shop where you’ll find a
variety of colorful plants, garden orna-ments
and even a great Tryon Palace
cap to keep the hot sun off your face.
Fossilized whale feces, the ear- bone of
an ancient whale and a large shark
tooth help tell the prehistoric story
of eastern North Carolina at the
North Carolina History Center.
Artifacts like these are always
a hit with younger visitors and
can excite their curiosity to learn
about other museum objects.
“ If you use these items that
have a ‘ wow factor’
as a teachable mo-ment,”
says Tryon
Palace Registrar
Dean Knight, “ then
perhaps you can
hold that child’s attention and tell them about some other topic, whether
it’s about the collection of fossils – or an old piece of furniture.” Read more
about the North Carolina History Center on page 18.
Getting the Scoop on Whale Poop
AND
Down the
Garden Paths
In the Shop
From the Cabinet
of Curiosities
Follow us on Facebook and keep up
with everything that’s happening
at Tryon Palace. Click “ Like” at:
www. facebook. com/ TryonPalace
or look for the Facebook link on
our website.
T aking care of hundreds of
shoes, hats, breeches and
dresses may seem like a daunting
task, but for Tryon Palace
historic clothing coordinator
Laura Poppe, it’s just another day
on the job.
A trip to Laura’s workroom
on the second floor of the Jones
House is a sartorial treat, with
peacock feathers, top hats,
costumes in various stages of
construction and repair – and of
course yards and yards of fabric
– lining every available surface.
It’s serious eye candy for any
fan of fashion, and Laura is no
exception. “ One of my favorite
parts of the job when I got here
was just being able to come in
and see what an awesome stash
of fabric Tryon Palace had and
imagining all the wonderful
things I could make with it,”
says Laura. “ I live by the mantra
that whoever dies with the most
fabric wins.”
HisNtoereyd Tleo ladn Wd Tithhread
“ We’ve come a long way from the days when
those original costumes were seen more as
pretty clothes than as teaching tools.”
Laura Poppe at work in the Palace kitchen wearing one of the costumes she created.
Encounters
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 5
If some folks are born with a silver
spoon in their mouths, Laura Poppe
began life with a thimble in her hand
and a supportive mother. “ I’ve been
sewing as long as I can remember,” she
says. “ My mother was a textile major
and she taught me most of my sewing
knowledge and inspired me to go
further with it.” Go she did. By the age
of 14 the young seamstress was making
garments for herself and at 16 was
teaching sewing classes for the 4- H
club. At the same time, a bourgeoning
interest in costuming and historical
research translated into “ making a lot
of costumes for my entire family.”
After a stint studying graphic
design in college (“ I enjoyed it, but it
really wasn’t what I wanted to do.”),
three years ago she jumped at an
opportunity to work at Tryon Palace.
The rest is history – literally. One of
her first responsibilities was to bring
the Tryon Palace costume collection
more in line with accurate historical
representation. Most of the costumes
had been around for a long time,
and they reflected a 1950’ s aesthetic
more than they did period- authentic
garments.
“ When I first got to the Palace we
had only two pairs of stays and they
were rarely worn,” she recalls. “ Very
little costuming was as historically
accurate as we wanted. We’ve come a
long way from the days when those
original costumes were seen more as
pretty clothes than as teaching tools.
Back then people didn’t always
realize that those differences
in period styles, the details in
authenticity, can be very helpful
in teaching the public about
history.”
One case in point:
stays – those ubiquitous
eighteenth- century
female undergarments.
Although worn
unseen underneath
Laura’s favorite costume is this one worn by historic
interpreter Karen Ipock. Laura designed the gown
and, with the help of two volunteer seamstresses and
an embroiderer, completed it after about two weeks
of labor. The fabric is changeable green/ blue taffeta,
trimmed in self- fabric ruching with metallic silver em-broidery.
The ruffles and flounces are of a fine white
voile. The gown is a sacque- back gown with matching
petticoat worn over a full complement of eighteenth-century
undergarments, including a hoop petticoat to
give the skirt its fullness. Karen is also wearing a high
wig that matches her natural hair color.
“ I love to dispel myths – corsets were
not really torture devices – and I love
showing visitors that costumes are
another important part of history.”
a dress, stays are not only necessary
for historical accuracy, but they also
play an important role in correctly
representing how people moved and
carried themselves during a particular
time in history.
“ A woman’s posture was very
different in the eighteenth century;
you held yourself with your shoulders
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
T he family that
volunteers together
stays together. At
least that’s the case for the
Poppe family of Greenville, all
of whom – parents included –
are active volunteers at Tryon
Palace. They have Palace
staff member Laura Poppe to thank for it.
Laura, the eldest of five Poppe siblings,
encouraged all her family to get involved
at the Palace – including 11- year- old Ethan
who confesses, “ I was dragged along
because everybody else went!”
Mom Paula saw it as a way to stay in
touch with what her eldest daughter loved
doing and as an opportunity for the family
to experience history outside a textbook.
“ We love historic sites. We homeschool
our kids, so whenever the opportunity
would come up for a field trip to a historic
site, off we’d go! We even came to Tryon
Palace’s homeschool day events when
the kids were younger. I n fact, I believe
we participated in one of the very first
events. When Laura started working here
and we found out we could volunteer, it
just seemed a natural thing to do!”
The Poppe siblings are involved in
activities including playing lawn games,
being character interpreters at various
events and working at the “ coffee house”
during Christmas candlelights. Music is a
big draw for three of the Poppes – Seth
( 15), Jenna ( 17) and Brianne ( 19) – who
enjoy performing on violin, recorder,
harpsichord and flute at the annual
Tryon Palace Candlelight celebration.
In fact, playing violin at Palace events is
Seth Poppe’s favorite volunteer activity
although he readily admits, “ I did enjoy
playing a pickpocket!”
The Poppe parents also pitch in to help as
often as they can. “ Our favorite volunteer
time is Christmas candlelight,” says Mrs.
Poppe. “ We enjoy participating when
there are so many people attending and
most are excited about the holiday. We
love seeing the fireworks and this year
singing Christmas carols on the back lawn.
I have enjoyed participating in spinning
and felting the most; my husband enjoys
handing out cookies and cider, interacting
with visitors and playing lawn games with
the kids.”
While history is an active interest for
the Poppe clan, they recognize that’s not
always the case with other young people
and they have some decided opinions why.
Jenna puts it bluntly: “ There are so many
history books that just give you facts and
are dull.” Seth offers another perspective.
“ Maybe it’s because we think that history
should be laid out in chronological order.
I’m reading Herodotus and his Histories
for school right now and he goes on little
rabbit trails in his telling that don’t stay
Seth, Jenna and Laura Poppe entertain visitors at the annual Tryon
Palace Christmas Candlelight celebration.
Poppes Flourish
at Tryon Palace
“ There are so many history books that
just give you facts and are dull.”
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 7
rolled back and a certain curve to your spine,” explains Laura.
“ Stays ensured your correct posture because when properly fitted
they help hold your shoulders back. If you slouch, that’s when
they can dig in and be really uncomfortable. You cannot achieve
the fashionably conical ‘ look’ of the eighteenth century without
stays, and back then it was just not an option socially to leave the
house without wearing them.”
Laura constructs most of the stays used by the costumed
interpreters, with the occasional help of some handy volunteers.
It is a laborious and time- consuming task, especially since she also
makes the patterns. She does use a sewing machine to help her
construct the up to one hundred channels required for inserting
the boning supports. However, there is still much handwork
to be done, including the approximately forty eyelets that she
meticulously sews by hand with tiny, even stitches.
Ensuring authenticity takes time – a lot of it. “ Sewing the eyelets
can take up to a week or more depending on how much time I
can spend on them; if I work solely on eyelets, two days tops.” But
she adds, “ I usually don’t have that luxury. It can take me a month
or two to make a pair of stays since I’m always working on other
projects at the same time.”
As Tryon Palace’s resident mantua- maker, Laura is responsible
for designing and crafting all the new gowns being worn in the
Palace and throughout the site, spanning a clothing period of
about one hundred years. For inspiration, she studies original
antique garments whenever possible, reviews many books and
primary sources such as prints and paintings, and visits museum
collections. She has also taken historic clothing courses at
Colonial Williamsburg. She enjoys working with the eighteenth-century
clothing the most; “ I feel like I understand more how
and why they did things with their clothing. It clicks with me
in chronological order. Y ou get a little
background information about the
culture and everyday lives of people
through these rabbit trails. I also like
Charles Coffin’s American history books
because he tells lots of stories.”
What advice do they have for making
history more interesting to young people?
Change the reading material, say Seth
and Jenna: “ Kids need to be reading
more firsthand accounts, reading books
that tell history like a story.” Their mother
agrees. “ Let them read real accounts
from people who were actually there,
or that tell the point of view of average
people. Put real books about exciting
adventures in history in their hands. Visit
actual historical sites. Act out history –
you’re on that track at Tryon Palace.”
Given all their history- centered
activities, we wondered if there might be
a budding historian in the Poppe bunch.
So far, it doesn’t look like it. Brianne
is working towards a degree in zoo-keeping,
Jenna is continuing her training
to be a piano technician and Seth is
planning to continue his violin studies; he
remains undecided about what he’ll study
in college. As for the youngest, Ethan: “ I
want to be an entomologist.”
Whatever the future holds for them,
one thing’s for certain: these are no
garden- variety Poppes!
“ It’s a wonderful feeling
when I’ve made a beautiful
dress that an interpreter
loves and loves wearing.
It gives me such a sense of
accomplishment.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paula Poppe helps out with lawn games during an
event on the South Lawn.
more. I’m always learning; I’ve already
corrected some of the things I made
when I first got here because I have
found better research. Knowing how
to find quality information and who
to ask has been a huge part of my
job.”
Given the detailed nature of the
work, it is not surprising that a
relatively small number of new
costumes are produced each year,
especially taking into account the
caps, neckerchiefs, aprons and other
accessories that Laura also must make.
In addition, there’s the mending,
maintenance and alterations that need
to be done to existing costumes. It
can take up to two weeks to make one
gown using a modern sewing machine
to help a little with inside seams. A
“ Gown Workshop” that she organized
for Tryon Palace interpreters this past
January yielded a bonanza of eight new
gowns in one month. Laura taught the
participants how to drape the fabric
and fit the garment directly on the
body and supervised the sewing of the
costumes. “ We have some very talented
seamstresses who are really interested
in the history and accuracy of what
they are wearing and I am very pleased
with how far their knowledge of period
costuming has come,” she says. “ They
really like to look as authentic as
possible. It was a lot of fun to do the
workshop with them.”
Laura remains busy away from the
sewing machine as well. Throughout
the year she teaches workshops,
participates in the spinning and
weaving program at the Palace and
can often be found on site as a
costumed interpreter. She loves having
opportunities to interact with the
public and to talk about her favorite
topic, historic clothing. “ I love to
dispel myths – corsets were not really
torture devices – and I love showing
The mantua- maker’s workroom is
always filled with interesting
items. White and burgundy
hat, 1770s. Covered in fine
white muslin with bur-gundy
silk trimming
and decorated with
pearls, ruching and
ostrich plumes.
Brown wool stays used in the 1770s.
These are made of linen canvas with
a wool outer fabric and boned with
reed. They have a leather binding as
well and lace in both the front and back
for ease in dressing.
Detail of a
stomacher, a fabric
panel that decorated
the front opening of a
woman’s gown. This version fea-tures
tabs at the sides that allow
the stomacher to be pinned in
place while dressing. It is trimmed
in ruching of fine cotton and silver
embroidery.
Patchwork pockets based
on an original pair ca. 1810.
Pockets like these are attached
to a waistband and worn
on either side of a lady
underneath the pocket
slits in her petticoat; they
remain invisible, but easily
accessible.
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 9
“ Like food, clothing is one of the most
effective ways of teaching history.”
Want to join in the fun?
Tryon Palace is always looking for dedicated volunteers, young and old! We have interesting opportunities
available to fit every interest and schedule. For more information, contact Laurie Bowles at: ( 252) 514- 2395, or
e- mail her at: lbowles@ tryonpalace. org.
visitors that costumes are another important part of history. People don’t
always understand about fashion. They’ll want to know why people wore
caps, whether it was for reasons of health, for instance. Sometimes I have
to explain it was just because that was the fashion! Just like in the 1940s
when a well- dressed woman would not go out without her gloves and hat.
It’s the same principle. Fashion evolves along with peoples’ lives.” On Laura’s
agenda is a fall fashion show. Although the details are still being worked out,
she plans to present the different layers of garments worn and to display
both outer and undergarments. “ I’d like to present it more as a story about
clothing to encourage interaction with the public. Like food, clothing is one
of the most effective ways of teaching history. It’s so accessible, it’s something
that people can really relate to and understand, something they have a
connection to.”
Off the job, Laura’s hobbies include photography and, not surprisingly,
sewing. She designs and sews many of her own clothes and all her own
costumes. She freely admits, “ It is amazing if I have a day when I don’t take
a stitch in a garment!” Another interest of this self- styled “ history nerd” are
the Civil War reenactments in which she participates as often as time allows.
She confesses, “ Dressing up and camping are two of my favorite activities;
it’s my dream vacation!”
Back in her busy workroom, Laura Poppe admits that the job does hold
its challenges. “ There’s so much to be done and I’m only one person.
Fortunately, I have a couple of volunteers who help me out in the shop one
or two days a week. They are so very helpful!” In the end, the rewards seem
to outweigh any negatives. “ I’m doing something now that I really love.
Being able to spend time talking with people about the realities of clothing
and history is great. The research, the design process and the terrific people I
get to work with are all favorite parts of the job.” And, she adds with a smile
as she picks up some handwork, “ It’s a wonderful feeling when I’ve made
a beautiful dress that an interpreter loves and loves wearing. It gives me
such a sense of accomplishment.” Looking at one of her beautifully crafted
creations, it’s easy to see why. 
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F ifteen years ago, descendants of the Holland
family of New Bern donated a remarkable
life- sized portrait of a young Craven County
woman to Tryon Palace. “ We knew it was a painting
that had significant potential for the collection; it’s a
local painting which makes it an especially important
acquisition for us and it is rare to have a portrait of this
scale. Unfortunately it was not in any condition to be
exhibited,” recalls Deputy Director Philippe Lafargue
who was the Tryon Palace conservator at the time.
“ Efforts to secure grant money for its conservation
were unsuccessful, and we were faced with space
considerations because of its size; we really didn’t have
a place to exhibit it.” So the painting went into storage
to prevent further damage, waiting for the right time to
make its debut.
A Southern Belle
Gets a Makeover
Collections Close- up
Above: Time had not been kind to this
painting. A combination of accumulated
dirt, wear and tear, smoke and water
damage, and inexpert retouching had
marred and dimmed the once vibrant
portrait.
Left: Conservation treatment by the
Richmond Conservation Studio returned
the bloom to this young Craven County
woman and prepared her for a debut at
the North Carolina History Center.
12 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
With the construction of the North
Carolina History Center, Tryon Palace
jumped at the opportunity to exhibit
the painting as part of its new Regional
History Museum. But it was clear that
more than 150 years after her portrait
was painted, this Southern lady was
badly in need of a makeover. Tryon
Palace turned to the art conservation
laboratory of Cleo Mullins whose
firm, Richmond Conservation Studio,
specializes in the conservation of
paintings and decorative objects. Over
many months, she and her team would
accomplish what she terms “ a major
transformation.”
The first step was to conduct a
thorough inspection of the painting’s
structure and condition and get a
complete photographic record. It was,
simply put, not a pretty sight. The
painting was covered with so many
layers of dirt, grime and yellowed
varnish that its original colors were
largely obscured, and the young
woman’s once youthful complexion
resembled a piece of old leather.
Previous crude attempts at cleaning
and restoration had left thick patches
of oil paint that had hardened to the
point of being almost intractable.
The paint in some areas had cracked
or flaked off and numerous stains,
flyspecks and inexpert
attempts at paint retouching
marred the surface. During
one of the previous
restorations the painting
had been attached with glue
and wallpaper paste onto a
piece of cardboard which
had begun to separate from
the original canvas and was
now causing blistering on the
surface. Water and mildew
Small test swatches were cleaned to determine
the right combination of solvents to use to
clean off as much of the grime as possible. As
shown in the detail, the results of the test clean-ing
of the tablecloth were especially dramatic.
damage were also apparent and there were indications that the painting may
have been exposed to fire. Somewhere in time, Ms. Mullins says, the painting
“ had gotten a very good soaking.”
Ms. Mullins also found a number of tears in the painting, leading to some
interesting speculation. Family legend had it that the painting was damaged
by Yankee soldiers during the Civil War. But, as Ms. Mullins points out, “ If
the Yankees had spent time to stop and slash every Southern painting they are
accused of having damaged, they would
have never had time to win the war!”
Still, an encounter with Yankee soldiers
is not out of the question. Ms. Mullins
estimates that the tears occurred “ fairly
early on” and “ were not the type of jagged
complex tears that you typically see when something falls
into a canvas.” Instead, she adds, the tears are “ straight, clean
vertical slits done with something very sharp. You can’t rule
out the Yankees.” In addition, the conservators found that
the painting’s top and side edges had been cut down from
its original larger size, possibly when the painting had been
reframed sometime in the early twentieth century.
After thoroughly assessing the condition, the conservation
team began a nearly five- month process of structural repair,
cleaning and inpainting, with the goal of bringing the
painting back as close to its original condition as possible.
First the painting was carefully “ released” from its frame
and stretcher supports. Small test patches were cleaned to
determine the best solvents to use to clean the large canvas.
After protecting the surface of the painting with a special
plastic- coated paper and using a temporary stretcher to hold
the painting in place, lab technician Beth Fulton used large
spatulas to slowly coax off the cardboard that had been glued
onto the canvas. Smaller bits of cardboard, paper and cloth
patches, and filling materials were peeled and carved off by
hand. The back was vacuumed, tears were repaired and the
back of the painting was newly lined with a layer of pre-tensioned
polyester fabric for protection and support.
Over the years, the original canvas had begun to separate from
its cardboard backing, causing blistering and flaking to multiple
areas of the painting’s surface.
“ If the Yankees had spent time to stop
and slash every Southern painting they are
accused of having damaged, they would
have never had time to win the war!”
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14 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
Cleo Mullins then turned her attention to the
front and to a careful process of removing layer upon
layer of dirt, varnish and clumsy overpainting and
retouching. It was a painstaking, time- consuming task
that at times required the use of sharp little sticks to
carefully pry out grime that had become completely
impacted. “ We just had to keep working at it slowly,”
recalls Ms. Mullins, “ juggling between cleaning the
dirt and dissolving many multiple layers of varnish.
We also used scalpel blades to pick out as much of the
old filling materials and overpaint as possible.”
The results were dramatic. With the yellowed varnish
and the decades of dirt gone, the painting literally
came to light – with some surprises. “ Looking at
the painting before treatment I would have said that
the curtain was green or yellow. It turned out to be
lavender and that was a shock!” says Ms. Mullins.
The cleaning revealed a table covered with a vibrant
red cloth with gold trimming; on top, a vase of white
porcelain with gold trim and a bank of pink roses over
a shaded green background. The vase is filled with a
beautiful spring bouquet of pink roses, orange day
lilies, Madonna lilies, freesias and wheat fronds. And
most satisfyingly, perhaps, a luminous young woman
with a peaches and cream complexion and a shy little
The pure white areas are the filling materials used to fill the gaps
in the paint layer ( to bring it up to the level of the remaining
original paint) and the dark mottling/ spots on her face are the
remains of a previous crude attempt at retouching; these spots
proved to be intractable. Those areas were all compensated for
during the inpainting stage of treatment, when dry pigments
were mixed with a clear acrylic medium to match the colors and
then dotted in the losses and over the stains.
“ We knew it was a painting that had significant potential
for the collection; it’s a local painting which makes it an
especially important acquisition for us and it is rare to
have a portrait of this scale. Unfortunately it was not in
any condition to be exhibited.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modern conservation treatments
focus on repairing and stabilizing old
damage, while regaining the appear-ance
and preserving the integrity of
the original work.
smile reemerged. The details of the shirring in her white muslin
gown, the lace trim on her dress, the white flower garland in her
hair and her dainty shoes all became vivid again.
But the work was not over. Next came the process of inpainting
the areas where the paint had flaked away or where intractable
remnants of prior retouching with gobs of oil paint had altered
the original. Another member of the team, Lorraine Brevig, went
to work using tiny brush strokes and cross hatching to ensure
a minimal impact on the original painting, while bringing the
problem areas as close to their original appearance as possible. “ It’s
a real trial and error process,” says Ms. Mullins. “ Lorraine takes
her palette full of known pigments from the time period and goes
through them to painstakingly color match each damaged area. It
takes a very long time to do an excellent job.”
By mounting the painting to a layer of reinforced fiberglass
fabric slightly larger than the original surface, the conservators
were also able to open up a few inches of the original edges of
the painting that had previously been folded over and tacked,
bringing it closer to its original size.
Unlike the heavy- handed efforts at restoration that the painting
had suffered in the past, Ms. Mullins’ team of trained professionals
used materials and techniques that can be easily reversed at a
future time when the painting might again require conservation.
“ Conservators today are cautious, perhaps overly so,” she explains.
“ We use materials that are designed to be as stable as possible over
the long run. We want anything we add to be easily removable
without causing damage to the original painting. And we isolate
all the treatments and inpainting we do, not only to protect the
condition of the original canvas, but to preserve the distinction
between what has been done as a conservation treatment now and
what was done by the original artist.���
Our beautiful young lady will be entertaining callers at the
North Carolina History Center. Come and meet her. We’re sure
you will find her as charming as we do. 
“ Looking at the painting
before treatment I would
have said that the curtain
was green or yellow. It
turned out to be lavender
and that was a shock!”
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Do these flowers represent youth and innocence, or are they
commemorating a young woman’s wedding? Even the clues in
the painting lead to more questions.
A rose by any other name...
W hat’s in a name? Plenty, actually. A personal identity. A story. A lifetime. When
it comes to names, however, this young woman knows how to keep a secret. For
years, the staff at Tryon Palace has been calling her “ Miss Bishop;” the painting’s
elderly donor had forgotten her first name, but thought that she was a Miss Bishop who
married a Mr. Holland of New Bern. But we have no real information to indicate definitively
who she is or even when she posed for her portrait. So for now, Miss Bishop she remains.
As she waits to take her place in the North Carolina History Center, the search is on to
restore this young woman her true identity. Deciphering the clues in her portrait could reveal
some important things about her. We know she was no country bumpkin; the open book
and pages of prints on the table next to her are symbolic of a young woman who is educated
and cultivated. Her refined dress and shoes, the gold pocket watch peeping out of her sash,
and the four slim golden rings on her fingers indicate a degree of family prosperity. In the
background the elegantly carved table, the fine porcelain vase and the richly patterned carpet
all point to a young woman who either came from a wealthy family – or married into one.
We’re not sure how old she is in this painting. Guesstimates put Miss Bishop’s age anywhere
from 13 to 20. Did she pose for a coming- of- age portrait? Is this her wedding portrait? The
rings on her fingers predate the period when a ring on the fourth finger meant a wedding
ring. The beautiful flower wreath on her head could have been worn for a ball or a wedding;
however, says Tryon Palace curator Nancy Packer, “ The wreath did remind me of some of the
wax and silk orange blossom wreaths that you can see in some period examples
of bridal head pieces.” Although Miss Bishop wears white, that doesn’t
necessarily indicate a wedding dress; Ms. Packer points out that it’s a reflection
of the Greek Revival aesthetic of the period and that the color was frequently
worn as a “ best” dress.
As in any good mystery the clues themselves can be confusing. “ The vase with
the flower arrangement does make me wonder,” says the curator. “ The fact that
they chose flowers alone is interesting. The flowers could represent her youth
and innocence; whereas if you saw a fruit arrangement, for instance, it could
refer to the fruitfulness of her womb and make you think that it’s more likely a
portrait of a young married woman. It also strikes me that the most dominant
flowers in that vase are lilies, especially white lilies, which are, of course, an
ancient symbol of purity – very strongly suggesting that this is an unmarried
( or about to be married) young woman.” Does the handkerchief in her hand
have some significance? Maybe, or it could just be a portrait convention of the
time. It’s another question that requires further research.
Miss Bishop’s clothes hold additional clues that help in dating the portrait.
While the late Georgian period saw the waistline of women’s dresses move
higher to just below the bust, by the 1820s the waistline had begun to creep
down closer to its natural place. The waist on Miss Bishop’s beautiful dress
16 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 17
hovers a bit above where waistlines would remain later in the 1830s. Her lace-trimmed
puffy sleeves show some of the exaggerated sleeve silhouette that would
become very popular and would reach peak fullness about 1835. But even fashion
clues can prove to be red herrings. “ Her shoes are typical of those worn from the
very early 1800s even through the 1860s. The details of the gown such as the lace
on the sleeves, the shape of the neck and waistline, the ruching on the front of the
bodice, the width of the hem – all these are clues to the date,” says Tryon Palace
costume specialist Laura Poppe. “ Some of them, such as the bodice ruching, are
misleading. That sort of detail is often seen on later- period dresses and yet the
shape of her gown is much earlier in style.” While Laura Poppe and Nancy Packer
continue to scour through examples and period illustrations of women’s fashion
to narrow the date further, their best estimate is that the portrait was painted
somewhere between 1828 and 1835.
There is no signature on the painting and according to family lore the portrait
was painted by an itinerant New York painter. This is probably true. During the
nineteenth century it was common for artists to travel throughout the South
to display their work and offer their services to well- to- do and well- established
southern families. Among those who could afford to pay for them, portraits
became one of the most popular ways of promoting the importance of one’s social
status. The sheer size of this portrait is itself a clue: a life- size portrait such as this one was
very unusual, says curator Nancy Packer. “ This was a serious status symbol.”
The painting itself was executed if not by a top- tier portraitist, certainly by one with some
considerable skill. “ He’s definitely more skilled at certain things than others,” she says. “ Some
of the details of the lace on her dress, those reflections on her watch chain and on the flowers
in her hair are very well done and her face is really lovely. I think he also did a great job with
the vase and the table. Some of the proportions are off in her arm and it starts to break down
a little towards the bottom. The artist is clearly having some trouble with perspective and
scale and the young woman looks like she’s floating, but overall it’s a wonderful portrait. I
think she would have been very pleased.”
So where does a history sleuth go next? One avenue of inquiry is the carpet in the painting;
the unknown artist went to some trouble to provide a very diligent representation of its
design. “ He did that carpet with so much detail it might be possible to find a sample that is
documented or find a sample that has been reproduced,” says Nancy Packer. “ It’s clearly a
very specific carpet and I think we may be able to find it in the records somewhere.”
The curator also plans to do some further research in local newspapers of the period to try
to identify any artists who might have been traveling through
the area at the time.
Following the genealogy trail may yield the most promising
results. Since the painting came down through relatives of
the Holland family, well- to- do landowners and merchants
in Craven County, that’s where Nancy Packer plans to
concentrate her efforts and work her way through the
ancestry. “ I think there’s a lot more to be researched in that
family and more work to do with searching through the local
papers of the time. I’ve gotten some good leads from people
who’ve done a lot of genealogical research in this area. I think
we can find her.” 
Above: Miss Bishop’s
clothing provides clues to
the date of her portrait.
Her sleeves are just begin-ning
to show the puffy
silhouette that would
reach much larger propor-tions
and peak by 1835.
The unknown artist has
done an especially skillful
job with the lace details of
the sleeve.
Bottom left: Is the beauti-fully
hemmed handker-chief
in her hand meaning-ful
or just a convention
common to portraits of
the time? That’s another
question that merits
further research. The very
detailed rendition of the
carpet may also help in
dating the portrait.
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18 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
T oo often, contemplating a visit to a history museum
can become a Brussels- sprouts kind of moment – you
know it’s good for you, but you don’t know if you’ll
actually like it. History can have an image problem, especially
with younger people who may be turned off by the thought of
“ Don’t Touch!” environments full of quaint objects, paintings
of stiff- looking ancestors and musty documents about events
that seem far removed from contemporary life.
Tryon Palace is about to change all that. This fall the North
Carolina History Center sweeps away any stereotype of the dry,
North Carolina History Count
to the
down
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 19
The central hall is the first gathering
place, containing an information and
ticketing desk, informational and
directional signage, and a large space for
programming special events. Directly off
the hall are a new gift shop, the 200- seat
Cullman Hall performing arts theater
and two smaller orientation theaters. To
the southeast, a more intimate special
exhibits space hosts a variety of revolving
exhibits and a glass- clad café provides a
spot for a casual meal.
Two new museums within the
Center combine history and high- tech
to provide unique intergenerational
learning opportunities. The Regional
History Museum envelopes visitors in
the grand sweep of the area’s history,
while the Pepsi Family Center provides
an engaging, hands- on environment in
which families become “ citizens” of a
19th- century coastal community. There
is also an exciting new way to tour Tryon
Palace’s historic houses and gardens.
We asked lead exhibit designer Dr. Clay
Gish of ESI Design to give everyone a
sneak peak of what’s in store.
History With a Perspective
“ One of the important reasons for
building the North Carolina History
Center was to give people more options
for what they can do here, as well as more
ways to explore this region’s history,” says
Dr. Gish. “ Now they are going to have a
lot more choices depending on what their
interests are.”
If anything, history is about telling
stories and when it comes to enjoying a
good story, empathy and understanding
go hand in hand. The North Carolina
History Center takes the idea of “ walk a
mile in my shoes” and uses it to engage
visitors with the stories that unfold
History Center
The Regional History Museum is one of
two new interactive museums in the
North Carolina History Center.
dusty museum and replaces it with a lively, high- tech, family-friendly
attraction where visitors of all ages can see that history
isn’t just a thing of the past.
Some of the changes to the Tryon Palace visitor experience will
be immediately obvious. Instead of arriving at the repurposed
1950s- era visitor center currently in use, guests will now begin
their visit at the North Carolina History Center; they will
immediately find themselves in the soaring, light- filled Mattocks
Hall with its exposed architectural features that harken
back to the days when the site was a boat- building facility.
20 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
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as they tour the Tryon Palace historic
buildings, gardens and the North Carolina
History Center.
For their tour of Tryon Palace, visitors
can now choose a particular “ perspective”
on the past: women, children, African-
Americans ( free and enslaved), workers,
town leaders and two history professional
tours: architectural historian and a gardener’s
tour. “ What each of these tours does is give
you a particular focus for your visit,” says
exhibit designer Dr. Gish. “ Say you want to
take the African- American tour. As you go
through all the historic buildings, in each
one of them you’ll learn about the lives of
African- Americans who lived and worked in
this area. For instance, if you visit the Hay
House you’ll learn there was an enslaved
woman and a girl who lived and worked
there, perhaps mother and daughter, and
you’ll learn about how they spent their days
in that house. In the Stanly house you’ll hear
about the illegitimate son, John Carruthers
Stanly; he earned his own freedom and was
able to buy the freedom of his family and
become a very successful businessman, quite
wealthy. Later in life he actually helped his
white half- brother out of an economic jam.
We focus on the personal stories of real
people as much as possible because that’s
what brings history to life.”
Navigating Through History
To help them create a custom- made
journey through the past, visitors will be
able to use a nifty little tool called a “ History
Navigator” for the duration of their visit.
The History Navigator is a personal hand-held
device that extends the information
provided by human guides and exhibits – a
kind of GPS to the past. An on- camera
narrator acts as a personal tour guide
throughout the various sites, telling visitors
about the people who lived and worked
there and suggesting additional items for
exploration.
Using the History Navigator, visitors can
watch videos, listen to stories and music,
and look at historical photos and images.
( Inside the historic houses, visitors are asked
“ One of the important reasons for building the
North Carolina History Center was to give people
more options for what they can do here, as well as
more ways to explore this region’s history.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
At the Pepsi Family
Center, a young visi-tor
uses a “ chipper”
to keep resin flowing
for use in the turpen-tine
still.
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 21
to turn off the Navigator so they can interact
with the living history interpreters and fellow
visitors.)
Using a map of the site, visitors choose
where they wish to visit. When they arrive
at a historic house, the History Navigator
relays the stories pertinent to that house and
the perspective they have chosen to explore.
For instance, at the Dixon House, visitors
exploring the Worker- Artisan Tour hear the
story of Lewis Bond, a master cabinet maker,
and his young apprentices – William, Robert,
James and Henry. “ That kind of perspective
view on history makes this concept really
unique here,” says Dr. Gish.
At any point, visitors can select other roles
to explore a variety of experiences and points
of view. “ Suppose you have just visited the
Palace kitchen and learned what all the people
who work in the kitchen do, but you then
wonder what life was like for the family,”
says the designer. “ Switch to the town leader
perspective on the History Navigator to
find out. Or say you want to switch to the
children’s tour; at that point you can find out
what kids did who were also working at the
Palace at this time.” More than a way- finder,
the History Navigator is designed to spark
curiosity and make connections using the
kind of technology that drives contemporary
life today.
The Regional History
Museum
In the Regional History
Museum, visitors discover the
history of North Carolina’s
central coastal region through
artifacts, graphics, audio and
live demonstrations that show
how the experience of people
changed from the region’s
earliest days through the early
20th century. Exhibition
areas are organized around
the themes that bind humans
across generations: people,
work, environment and
community.
“ We take the environment
as a starting point because it
really did determine where
people chose to settle and
the kinds of industry they
developed,” says exhibit
designer Dr. Clay Gish.
Left: The History Naviga-tor
acts as a high- tech tour
guide, creating opportuni-ties
to view history from
different perspectives.
Below: The Regional His-tory
Museum combines
technology with more
traditional museum exhib-its
to enhance and extend
learning opportunities for
all ages.
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22 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
Entering the Regional History Museum,
visitors find themselves immersed in an
abstract sylvan environment with large
murals and cutout shapes of long leaf pines,
once the dominant eco- system of the region.
In a clearing ahead, there’s a large circular
projection area where visitors can gather
around and choose from among nine
different video presentations exploring
geologic history, native peoples, European
settlement and how the region developed
over time.
A river of light – lighting effects that ripple
and shimmer like water – emphasizes the
rivers’ importance to the region and leads
visitors on a path through the museum
and through the progression of life from
a natural setting toward a more urbanized
environment. Throughout, a combination
of graphics, artifacts, activity kiosks and
audio first- person accounts weave the story
of the men, women and children, free and
enslaved, who made this area unique.
The Pepsi Family Center
Technology takes center stage over at the
Pepsi Family Center, an interactive museum
filled with hands- on activities geared to the
7 to 12- year- old age group.
In the Pepsi Family Center, children,
families and the young at heart begin their
journey to the past when “ they enter a
time machine that looks like a spacecraft,”
says Dr. Gish. The doors close and soon
the Time Machine whirs to life as a series
of historical images depicting the passage
of time swirl rapidly counterclockwise,
whizzing visitors back to the 19th century.
“ Then it suddenly stops, the door opens
and you step outside and see a sign that says
‘ Welcome to 1835,’” says Dr. Gish.
As visitors emerge from the Time Machine,
they cross a small wooden bridge to find
themselves in a little 19th- century coastal
town complete with a house, a “ downtown”
shops area, a wharf with a ship in harbor,
and a pine forest surrounding a turpentine
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On board the Snap
Dragon, young-sters
will find that
smooth sailing
requires teamwork
and analytical skills.
still. A four- sided clock tower stands in the
center of the Town Square where a virtual
Mayor waits to greet visitors and explain the
various activities.
At the Pepsi Family Center all the
activities are computer- enhanced, hands- on
experiences led by virtual hosts; for instance,
young visitors can create a virtual quilt aided
by the lady of the house who is hosting a
quilting bee. In another area the Cook, an
enslaved woman, helps kids prepare a meal
for the family; there’s a newspaper office
where kids can make a newspaper and a shop
where they help the grocer pull together
shopping orders. In the forest they’ll find the
tools to make turpentine in the distillery.
All the activities will require analytical
thinking and teamwork. “ For instance, on
the ship, if you are the helmsman there’s an
actual ship’s wheel that you are turning and
there’s a compass that you have to read,”
says Dr. Gish. “ You will have to work with
the first mate to get the navigation of the
ship right and with the lookout and people
working the sails to figure out which way to
adjust them to get the maximum wind speed
for the journey.”
Just as in a true- life sea adventure, it won’t
always be smooth sailing. “ At some point on
this trip a big storm comes up so the kids
will have to deal with the ship in a crisis
mode for part of the voyage,” says Dr. Gish.
“ There’s an aspect like that for each of the
activities; the aim is to have kids working
together to accomplish a goal.”
History Is Not One- Size- Fits- All
Whatever your interests, whatever your age,
the opening of the North Carolina History
Center means that there will be many ways
to explore Tryon Palace and its campus of
activities.
And if technology isn’t your thing, no
problem. “ You can still go on the guided tour
through the Palace, you can still do a self-guided
tour through the historic houses and
anywhere you want on the grounds – with
the History Navigator or not, that’s optional.
You will still find the gracious hospitality and
the living history programs that Tryon Palace
does so well,” says Dr. Gish. “ But for people
who want to know more, they can also listen
to the first- person accounts, they can do the
interactive activities that will make it more
interesting for the more adventurous – I
don’t want to say just younger people either,
because plenty of older people are eager to
try new things too.”
The countdown begins! The North
Carolina History Center is scheduled to
open fall 2010. 
“ We take the environment as a starting
point because it really did determine
where people chose to settle and the
kinds of industry they developed within. ”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10%
Cert no. SW- COC- 001530
24 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
F rom the earliest stages of the design process
of the North Carolina History Center,
Tryon Palace was determined to create a
building that would preserve the history and culture
of its surrounding environment and would be a
model of sustainable building design. Why go green?
It was an easy decision to make.
Sustainably designed facilities and sites provide
cost- effective, healthy and pleasant environments by
minimizing environmental impacts, life- cycle costs
and use of nonrenewable resources. That means
using less energy and ensuring better air quality for
everyone. A green facility made good economic and
environmental sense to us. In addition, with the
acquisition of the 6.5- acre Barbour Boat Works site
for the North Carolina History Center, we knew
we had an extraordinary opportunity to reclaim a
historic portion of the New Bern waterfront and
make it accessible and enjoyable for residents and
visitors alike. We were determined to be good
stewards of this vital waterfront setting. Tryon Palace
hired architects BJAC to provide project leadership
to accomplish sustainability within the framework
of our project goals.
Sustainable design can involve many things,
including improving indoor air quality for all users
and visitors, and increasing natural light wherever
possible to create a better interior experience and
allow us to use less energy overall. But “ going green”
also means operating cost reductions, operations and
maintenance optimization, productivity increases,
natural resource conservation, waste reduction,
recycling, performance improvement and potential
liability reduction. At the North Carolina History
Center, this translates into a number of sustainable
architectural features.
History Goes
Bald cypress and wax myrtle are part of the constructed
wetlands that act as a natural filtration system for the North
Carolina History Center.
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 25
An 80,000 gallon cistern collects water
for use in irrigation throughout the site. The Center is primarily clad in locally
manufactured brick. The use of local materials
not only helps our area’s economy by buying
locally, but also cuts down on carbon emissions
created when materials are transported from
great distances. Inside, the Mattocks Hall and
circulation areas enjoy generous natural light,
minimizing our total energy consumption and
creating open, welcoming spaces for our visitors
and staff. Natural materials such as terrazzo
and maple have been used throughout; natural
materials use less finishes and chemicals and result
in a healthier environment for building occupants.
The Center’s floor elevation is set at twelve feet
above sea level both for flood prevention and
to avoid any groundwater contamination. An
80,000- gallon rainwater and condensation cistern
catches and stores water to supply irrigation for
the surrounding landscape, decreasing our overall
water usage. The gardens around the Center
contain local, indigenous plants which require less
water and energy to maintain. Other landscaping
features include a parking area bioswale, which
uses natural plants and materials to remove silt
and pollution from automobiles from surface
runoff water. Surface runoff is directed to the
reconstructed wetlands area which functions as a
natural filtration system for water runoff from the
site, as well as for the 30 acres of the surrounding
New Bern residential area.
Redeveloping the Barbour Boat Works was an
important part of the sustainable strategy for the
North Carolina History Center. Designated as a
‘ brownfield site’ – an official term for abandoned
or underused industrial and commercial facilities
– the site had become unsightly. With the
completion of the North Carolina History Center,
this revitalization project creates a thriving public
history and recreation district – a transformation
that will benefit our community for many
generations.
Tryon Palace is proud that the new building
and site will receive LEED Silver certification.
LEED ( Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design) is an internationally recognized green
building certification system that verifies a
project was designed and built to improve
performance through energy savings, water
efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved
indoor environmental quality and stewardship of
resources.
History looks great green! 
Abundant natural lighting creates a welcoming
atmosphere and reduces total energy consumption.
26 TRYON PALACE SUMMER 2010
William “ Bill” Drewer was many
things. A loving husband and
father, a respected colleague and
talented Principal with Quinn Evans
Architects in Washington, DC, a mentor
to many aspiring architects and young
professionals. When Bill passed away
in January, much too soon at the age
of 48, he had already left his mark on
cultural heritage projects up and down
the East Coast including, fortunately
for us, New Bern.
From 2000 until the time of his death,
Bill worked closely with Tryon Palace
in the design of the North Carolina
History Center. We all remember the
tall, lanky, unassuming guy who spent
countless hours trying to understand
who and what made Tryon Palace
work. Nearly everybody knew Bill
because Bill made a point of getting
to know nearly everybody. He spent
many hours with the staff, not only
learning about their present work
and projects, but also soliciting their
ideas about the tools they needed
to move Tryon Palace into new ways
of presenting history and enriching
visitors’ experiences. He helped us
articulate what the North Carolina
History Center could and would be.
Bill specialized in architectural
designs that were sensitive and
appropriate to historical settings, so he
spent much of his time getting to know
New Bern as well. He took his camera
on walks around town taking photos
of many buildings; photos that would
later inspire him and his team to design
a building that would fit seamlessly
into the fabric of our historic town.
Bill worked very hard to get things
right – the first time around. “ It’s
pretty remarkable that the concept of
the building he came up with 10 years
ago has not really changed much over
that time,” says Tryon Palace Deputy
Director Philippe Lafargue. “ Bill was
a very passionate professional and it
really showed in his work. He had a
wonderful, dry sense of humor, but
he also knew how and when to be
forceful in a very positive way. He was
a real advocate for protecting the
integrity of the building’s design, while
still balancing our needs as a client. It
was such a great pleasure to have been
able to work with him on this project.”
Bill’s passion translated into a great
design; that great design became
the North Carolina History Center,
a new hub for all of Tryon Palace’s
activities, a place where the past
sparks conversations about the
future, a place where visitors can be
active participants in history, rather
than passive witnesses. There’s a
saying that every job is a self- portrait
of the person who did it; we’ve got a
building at Tryon Palace that proves it.
Thanks Bill. 
Saying Good- bye to a Friend:
William Drewer ( 1962 - 2010)
The Tryon Palace Council of Friends
welcomes the following members who
have joined between March 23, 2010
and May 31, 2010.
Patron
Mr. and Mrs. Owen D. Andrews,
New Bern
Sustainer
Mr. and Mrs. William B. Rivenbark,
New Bern
Sponsor
Mr. Edward A. Blunt, New Bern
Family/ Grandparent
Mr. and Mrs. L. Drake Bratton,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dunn, New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Harris
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Ipock,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mason,
Lexington, MA
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin T. Snead,
New Bern
Ms. Priscilla P. Taylor, Chapel Hill
Supporter
Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Arthur,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Fugate,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Hurley P. Raynor,
Raleigh
Mr. and Mrs. Adam Simmons,
New Bern
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Smith,
Winston- Salem
Mr. Thomas S. Stewart and
Mrs. Susan Hammer, New Bern
Associate
Mrs. Mary T. Barringer, Durham
Mrs. Margaret A. Call, New Bern
Mr. Marvin W. Coghill, Wilson
Mrs. Jill S. Gammon, Raleigh
Mrs. R. Earl Jones, New Bern
Mr. Norval C. Kneten, Wilson
Mrs. Elizabeth M. Lawn, New Bern
Ms. Melinda J. Robinson, New Bern
Mr. David N. Skipper, Wilmington
Mrs. Tempe Younger, Kinston
New Friends
SUMMER 2010 TRYON PALACE 27
Events Sampler
The July 4 weekend will be a busy
and fun one at Tryon Palace with
patriotic kids’ craft activities, colonial
cricket matches, musket firing
demonstrations, and a special Tryon
Palace Fife & Drum Corps performance
followed by a dramatic 18th- century
reading of the Declaration of
Independence scheduled for July 3. On
July 4th we are holding a unique 19th-century
town celebration on the New
Bern Academy Green featuring music,
dancing and games including townball,
an early precursor to baseball! These
events are all free of charge; there is a
fee for interior tours.
Learn about 300 years of African- American history on one of our African
American Historic Downtown Walking Tours through New Bern. Tours last
approximately 90 minutes and cover 16 blocks. Reservations are required: 252-
514- 4935. Dates are July 18, August 15 and September 19 at 2: 00 p. m.; $ 4 per
adult, $ 2 per student.
On Wednesday, August 25, celebrate the anniversary of North Carolina’s First
Provincial Congress by becoming a delegate! During this interactive program,
the audience will participate in the First Provincial Congress that took place at
Tryon Palace on August 25, 1774. Craft activities for children will be included.
Time: 6: 00 p. m.; $ 4 per adult, $ 2 per student, FREE with regular admission.
On September 6 at the New
Bern Academy Green, you can
also watch the spectacle of the
1802 Stanly- Spaight duel unfold
as two 19th- century New Bern
political rivals meet in a deadly
reminder of an era when a
man’s personal honor was his
most cherished quality. Tours
of the New Bern Academy and
a concert by the Tryon Palace
Fife & Drum Corps round out
the day’s activities. FREE, 1: 00
p. m. – 4: 00 p. m.
Fans of historical fashion are in for a real treat during Démodé Fashion
Weekend, Friday, September 10 – Sunday, September 12. Démodé – meaning
outmoded – never looked so good! New York may be showing off all the latest
fashions this week but come see our classics and explore the world of 18th-century
fashion. The weekend will include a variety of fashion shows, period
demonstrations, tea and light treats, and kids’ craft activities. Times and costs
vary; consult our website for more details.
Please note: programs are subject to change. For up- to- date information about
these events, tour and garden hours, and a complete listing of all our events, please
visit our website at www. tryonpalace. org, or call ( 252)- 514- 4900 or ( 800) 767- 1560.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The new North Carolina
History Center won’t be open to
the public until fall 2010, but
members of the Tryon Palace
Council of Friends will have
lunch and be given a tour of
the new Center on July 31st for
our Annual Meeting/ Friends’
Day. This will be the first official
function in the History Center
and we couldn’t be more excited
that it will be for members of
the Council of Friends.
If you are not a member
of the Friends, but want to
be part of this very special
event, please contact Karen
O’Connell at 252- 514- 4933
or koconnell@ tryonpalace. org
for membership information.
Membership information is
also available on our website at
www. tryonpalace. org.
Don’t miss this!
Be sure to check our website
often for an update on events
and activities we are planning to
celebrate the opening of the
North Carolina History Center.
We’re excited to have a special
exhibition of North Carolina’s
copy of the original Bill of Rights
coming to the Center in Septem-ber.
We’ll have more information
soon at www. tryonpalace. org.
Coming Up
The Council of Friends extends
sincere appreciation to the following
individual donors who provided private
support for Tryon Palace in 2009.
$ 250 to $ 499
Mr. and Mrs. William J. Austin, Jr.
Mrs. Martha D. Bynum
Mr. and Mrs. John Edward Davenport
Dr. and Mrs. Charles A. Deigert
Dr. Franklin G. Dill
Mr. and Mrs. Brian S. Giersch
Ms. Susan Griffin
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Hunt III
Mr. and Mrs. Oliver C. Hutaff, Jr.
Mrs. Mary Ipock
Mr. Randall King and
Ms. Virginia A. Mattern
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Mansfield
Dr. and Mrs. Nathan R. Skipper, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Skrotsky
Mr. Howard Stier and
Dr. Catherine Chew
Mr. and Mrs. John A. J. Ward
Mr. Robert Wilkinson
Ms. Kay Phillips Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Julian P. Yates
$ 500 to $ 999
Mr. and Mrs. James R. Sugg
Ms. Linda Nichols
Mrs. Elizabeth H. Sparrow
$ 1000 to $ 9999
Mr. Donald R. Arthur
W illiam Aiken Walker was a
quintessential Southern artist. Born in
1839 in Charleston, South Carolina, Walker
served in the Confederate army and was
wounded in Virginia. After the war he turned
to painting for his livelihood and for the next
50 years he traveled throughout the South
becoming the most prolific chronicler of life
in the Reconstruction era. His genre paintings
of plantations, cotton fields, and the men and
women who worked the land provide a unique
and rich record of African- American life during
the period.
Two of Walker’s paintings will be exhibited
in the North Carolina History Center. These portraits of laborers standing in a
cotton field wearing torn, well- worn clothing illustrate that while war may have
bought African- Americans their freedom, they continued to live their daily lives
close to the land that had enslaved them.
By all accounts a charming and outgoing man, Walker understood the
mystique of the “ Old South” and took advantage of a burgeoning postwar
interest for quaint mementos of a changing region. Most of his paintings are on
a small scale, which made them inexpensive and
easily portable for the tourists at the hotels and
holiday spas where he sold many of his works.
Although at the time many of his paintings were
bought as novelty souvenirs rather than fine art,
today we recognize the invaluable artistic and
historic record left by Walker. Walker’s work
was to some extent sentimental, but he never
descended to caricature or trivialization; all his
subjects are depicted with great dignity and
the painter’s careful attention to detail speaks
eloquently of African- American lives defined by
poverty and hard labor. 
Additions to the
Annual Report
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IN FOCUS
Brushstrokes of African- American History
PO Box 1007, New Bern, NC 28563